


Just One Wish

by LadyVader23



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst and Feels, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa Needs a Hug, Luke Skywalker Needs A Hug, Protective Padmé Amidala, Secret Santa, Skywalker Family Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 48,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22028647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyVader23/pseuds/LadyVader23
Summary: On a trip to Dathomir, Anakin Skywalker finds a spell that will grant him one wish. Anxious to return home, he wishes for a way to end the war. As a result, he ends up accidentally kidnapping his future children...moments after they've escaped Bespin. Luke is quite done dealing with his mess of a father, and Leia is convinced telling the future Darth Vader about the future will only make it worse. Desperate, Anakin calls in the only person they might listen to: Padme Amidala. Too bad Padme has a surprise of her own...
Relationships: Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 441
Kudos: 1230
Collections: 2019 Star Wars Secret Santa





	1. Kidnapped

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SilverDaye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverDaye/gifts).



> This story is for the Secret Santa hosted on SilverDaye's Discord server! Annnnnd this fic is gifted to SilverDaye! Thank you for choosing me as your secret santa! It is an honor to write for you and I hope you enjoy it!  
> As a side note, this story is complete. I will be giving a few days between chapter updates however to give time to settle/make sure I didn't miss something in editing. It's definitely not a one shot...I struggle with those immensely. Like even my one shots are connected. So, to be fair, this is the shortest multi chapter fic I've ever done. Oops. Hopefully it works out!

This day had not gone at  _ all _ according to plan. 

She should have been used to it. It  _ was _ war, after all. And wars didn't tend to go by the book. 

Technically, many that she loved were still alive. That was more than could be said for many others across the galaxy. But that didn’t mean that she didn’t feel as though Vader had reached into her chest and ripped out her heart...without a drop of anesthetic. She felt as though the hole was still gaping and bleeding. Actually, it probably always would, if she was honest.

But at least she’d saved Luke. 

At least she’d saved someone.

She didn’t understand how--she’d heard him call out to her in her mind and simply known where he was. Then the escape to hyperspace had been close, but they’d managed it. Barely. 

So, she’d focused on caring for her best friend. As much as she wanted to retreat to Han’s quarters to cry and scream out her frustrations, she was still needed. She thought about strangling Lando again for his role in it, too. Or have Chewie do it for her. But Luke was in bad shape. Like  _ really _ bad. Worse, he was delirious with shock. He couldn’t be left alone. She couldn’t imagine what he’d had to do to survive Darth Vader in one-on-one combat. The odds of surviving that were almost nonexistent. She knew this all too well--she’d personally seen him take out over a thousand rebels without any trouble. Single handed. 

The fact that Luke came away with only a missing hand was a miracle in and of itself. Yet, it went deeper than that. She could tell, as she draped a brown blanket over her friend. His gaze was distant, unfocused, and he mumbled under his breath over and over again, “ _ Why  _ didn’t you tell me? My father...why?…” 

Maybe Vader had revealed something about how he’d murdered Luke’s father? She didn’t dare ask. She didn’t think it would go over to well. Yet...she had to try. He was almost all she had left. He was her best friend. She didn’t know what she  could do, but even if she couldn’t help him get over this, maybe they could at least be broken together.

So, she sat with him at the Dejarik table and carefully wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. 

He didn’t move. Didn’t even react, other than to move ever so slightly closer to her, as if she were the only person in the galaxy he could trust. She opened her mouth. To say what, she didn’t really know, but she never got a chance to say anything.

Because at that very moment, the weirdest thing she'd _ever_ experienced happened.

Her vision suddenly went white, the grimy walls of the Falcon disappearing, and the cushioned seat vanishing beneath them.

Her scream caught in her throat as she and Luke tumbled backwards, falling through what she could only describe as a formless void. Her grip instinctively tightened on Luke's arm, probably much harder than she should have in his condition, but he didn’t even seem to mind or notice for that matter. In fact, he was strangely silent, his body merely tensing under her grip. 

Then they landed solidly on their backs, gasping out in pain and shock as they found themselves staring up at a red, starry night sky. 

She blinked, willing her vision to clear, to  _ make sense,  _ but the red sky didn’t vanish. Beside her, Luke lay still, silently staring upward as she was. 

If he was there and he seemed to be seeing the same thing she was...it wasn’t a dream. 

Too fast, she sat up and hissed as the world spun around her.  _ Ok. That was a mistake,  _ she thought as she reached up a hand to massage her forehead.

From somewhere to her right, she heard an unfamiliar voice. “What. Did you  _ do,  _ Anakin?!” 

_ Anakin…?  _

Slowly, she turned her head toward the voice. 

“I found help, so we can end this war.” Another masculine voice insisted, sounding rather defensive. 

Her eyes searched and found the source of the voices. A man in a white...was that a  _ Jedi tunic?  _

She recognized it from old holographs her father had in his office on Alderaan. Images of great Jedi warriors with no names he would tell her when she asked. This man also had white, dirty gauntlets with a symbol on the pauldron. 

The symbol of the Jedi Order.

Lying on the ground beside the man, starting to get up, was another in similar attire. But if the first man was all in white, this one was in almost all black and dark brown. In appearance, they seemed like total opposites: The white Jedi wannabe, the very picture of innocence and hope, while the other was tall and dark and quite visibly annoyed with the other. 

The white Jedi Wannabe turned his gaze to her, eyeing her warily. “Who are they…?” 

“I don’t know.” The other answered, frowning.  “They’re...not what I was expecting…” 

“Then what  _ were _ you expecting?” 

“Well, the spell said…”

“A spell you shouldn’t have even touched!” 

She stared. Luke hadn’t moved from beside her. This...had to be a dream. Right? It wasn’t, she knew that, but...how else could she have been there? How else could Luke have been there? Where the hell did the Falcon disappear to? There was nothing in the galaxy that she knew of that could teleport people from moving ships in hyperspace, let alone...well, anywhere. 

Teleportation didn’t exist. It just...didn’t. 

Did it? 

She wouldn’t get answers sitting here gawking, and Luke was still injured. Maybe he was still in shock. If so, it was up to her to find out what in the galaxy was happening and what she needed to do to fix it before her friend got any worse. 

“You!” She snapped, pulling herself to her feet and brushing herself off. Her hand reached for her blaster...only to remember she’d set it down on the Falcon. Both men fell silent as she faced them, her hands going to her hips as she glared, challenging them to try something. Even without a weapon, she could do some damage if they tried to hurt them. “Who the hell  are you and just  where the hell are we?!  _ How _ did we get here?!” 

“Oh wonderful,” The Jedi Wannabe drawled in a very distinctive Coruscanti accent to his younger companion. “You’re a kidnapper now.” 

Her eyes narrowed and her lips pinched into a flat line and she stepped forward. “If this is some new Imperial technology…” 

“Imperial?” The dark one frowned, sitting up fully to study her. “No, it’s not...whatever that is. Look, I need... _ we  _ need your help.” He motioned between himself and the Jedi Wannabe, who had auburn hair and a matching beard.

“The hell you do! You’d better start talking, or I  _ swear… _ ” 

“Let’s all calm down, shall we?” The Jedi Wannabe stood, holding out his hands in a peaceful gesture. “I don’t know who you think we are, but there's no cause for alarm here. We don’t need to be enemies…” 

“Well,  _ you _ should have thought of that before you teleported us from off our ship!” She snarled, taking another step forward. She didn’t miss that the Wannabe Jedi’s blue-green eyes tracked the movement, his hand moving towards his hip where…

A...lightsaber...hung…

“Where did you get  _ that?!” _ She gasped and pointed. “The Black market? Those are illegal! Do you even  _ know _ what that weapon  _ means?” _

The dark one, who was now also getting up, snorted as if he found what she said funny, even as the other replied rather dryly, “More so than most. We’re Jedi.” 

Now it was her turn to laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous! There aren't any Jedi left! At least now I know you’re not Imperial...unless you’re what?...An Inquisitor, maybe? What color is your blade?” 

Both of them glanced at each other, frowning. “Are you  _ sure _ you did that spell right?” The Wannabe Jedi asked the dark one. 

“Of course I did…” and yet the other sounded unsure as he stared at her warily. 

“Wow, such confidence.” 

“Hey, it’s not like I can ask a Nightsister…” 

“Hello?!” She interrupted, waving her hand. “You’re not making any sense. Either start making sense or we’re going to have some problems!” 

Never mind that she was unarmed and Luke was still lying on the ground. But the men looked at her again and finally the Wannabe Jedi sighed. “My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’m a General for the…” 

“I’m sorry, you’re  _ who?”  _ She interrupted, her eyes growing wide. Surely, she hadn’t heard him right. 

The man hesitated. “Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’m a General for the Galactic Republic, and a master on the Jedi Council…” 

“That’s impossible.” she cut him off again. 

Behind her, she noted Luke had finally sat up. The Dark One had tracked the movement, and was now staring at her friend. Discreetly, she stepped in front of Luke, blocking the other man’s view of him. “Obi-Wan Kenobi died on the Death Star. We saw it with our own eyes.” 

“The Death Star?” The Dark One echoed, giving her a disbelieving stare. “What kind of stupid name is  _ that?” _

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan admonished, then opened his mouth to respond…

“Anakin?” 

All of them froze. Slowly, Leia turned. Luke was staring at the men, his eyes, normally so full of light and joy and farm boy innocence, were completely blank. In fact, his entire expression was entirely void of emotion as he asked, “Anakin...who?” 

There was an awkward silence. “I'm General Anakin Skywalker of the Galactic Republic and a Jedi Knight. It was me who performed the spell to bring you here…” 

Leia turned, glaring at the two men. “What kind of sick, twisted,  _ horrible  _ trick is this? Pretending to be dead men and…”

“Anakin  _ Skywalker?” _

Again, they turned to Luke. His expression was still largely blank, and yet his chest was suddenly heaving, sucking in deep breaths, and… 

“Yes…?” Imposter Anakin hesitatingly confirmed. Clearly this was not what he expected when he'd done...whatever he'd done. Leia noted that he too moved his hand closer to his belt where…

“That’s impossible,” Leia whispered, horror and confusion wrapping around her heart in a vise grip. “ _ How _ do you have Luke’s lightsaber?” 

“ _ Luke’s… _ ?! Excuse me?! What are you talking about?! This is  _ my  _ lightsaber!” Anakin glared at her...the real Anakin Skywalker. She didn’t know how it was even possible, but something in her told her they were telling the truth. This was Obi-Wan Kenobi, the famed Jedi general who had served with her father in the Clone Wars…

And Anakin Skywalker. Luke’s long-dead father. 

“Are you sure you don’t know them, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked. He was now stroking his beard in thought, eyes darting between her and Luke as though he could puzzle out their identities by just looking at them. 

“I’m sure I don’t…” 

“Anakin...Skywalker.” Luke said again...and she was alarmed and surprised to hear... _ anger?... _ in his tone _. _ That made no sense. Luke worshiped his father. His father was his hero, his motivation. And yet, when she turned to face him again, he was on his feet, cradling his injured hand against his chest, his face contorted with rage. “ _ ANAKIN SKYWALKER!!" _

“Oh,” Obi-Wan Kenobi remarked, “He  _ definitely _ seems to know you.” With alarm, she didn’t fail to notice his lightsaber was now in his hand. Unlit, but the threat was clear. 

“Wait…” She wasn’t sure who she was trying to stop. Luke? The two impossibly alive Jedi? The whole damn situation? Did it really even matter?

“ _ You… _ ” Luke snapped, stepping forward, and by the Force, he was  _ shaking,  _ “This is all  _ your fault!”  _

“I...What?!” Unlike his companion, Anakin Skywalker seemed frozen, staring at Luke like he was some kind of ghost. She wasn’t sure how the Force worked, but maybe he was sensing something off about Luke? “Do we...know each other…?” 

“ _ You did this!”  _ Luke unexpectedly lunged, and she barely made it in time to hold him back, his body crashing into hers. She gritted her teeth, trying to push even as Luke struggled wildly to...attack...his father? 

“Luke, calm down! This is your  _ father!! _ ” she tried, pleading with him, but that only seemed to enrage him more. 

“ _ NO!”  _ Luke shouted even as she could practically sense the two men behind her tensing up. “ _ That’s Darth Vader!” _

What...?

But Luke wasn’t done raging. “ _ My father, Anakin Skywalker,  _ **_is_ ** _ Darth Vader! It was a lie! All a lie! AND THIS IS  _ **_ALL_ ** _ YOUR FAULT!”  _

She had to be hearing him wrong. How was any of this even happening? Darth Vader...Anakin Skywalker...Luke Skywalker…

“Anakin,  _ what _ is he talking about?” Obi-Wan asked from behind, his voice deadly serious. "Is there  _ something _ you'd like to tell me?"

“No, and I have no idea,” and yet Anakin’s voice was tight, too tight… “I haven’t ever met these people before in my life. Besides, there’s literally _no_ _way…_ ” 

“That’s because we’re...somehow...from the future!” It was getting tiresome to hold Luke back. For someone so injured, he seemed awfully determined to attack the past version of his father. 

But if what Luke said was true...but no, it couldn’t be…could it…? 

“What spell  _ was _ this, Anakin?!” Obi-Wan demanded, this time increasingly sounding more worried. Anakin didn’t say anything, and when she risked a glance over her shoulder, she found that he was staring at Luke with wide, horrified eyes, as if he were truly seeing Luke for the first time. “Anakin!” 

“I...it was...a spell…”

“Yes, I  _ got that,  _ but  _ what _ was it?!” 

“It...it was meant to grant one wish.” 

“What was the wish?!” 

“....I wished for someone...or something to help bring an end to the war.” Anakin was shaking his head. “He’s  _ not _ my son...he’s...I...how…?” 

Obi-Wan’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Right now, I think we’d better get off Dathomir and get back to the ship. Your...Luke is injured. We should see to his wounds and…” 

“And  _ YOU!”  _ Luke shouted, turning his ire on Obi-Wan. “You  _ LIED _ to me!” 

“Oh, would you look at that, he apparently knows you, too.” It was meant to be a joke, but it didn’t quite work. Anakin sounded more exhausted than anything else. 

If Obi-Wan was bothered by the accusation or the tears now freely falling down Luke’s dirt and blood-stained face, he didn’t show it. “Come on. Let’s get you two to safety…” 

“Don’t trust him, Leia,” Luke sounded deranged. His voice was raw, full of a hatred she didn’t recognize. “He’s a liar, he didn’t tell me…” 

“That’s  _ enough.”  _ Obi-Wan ordered. She recognized the voice of a general who was quickly running out of patience. She squeezed Luke’s good arm, pleading with him to listen, to calm down so she could figure a way out of this mess. “Come with us and we will make sure you are unharmed. We can treat those wounds and once everyone is calmed down, we can figure this all out.” 

“I agree,” she hastily said, again giving Luke another squeeze. 

This time, he seemed to have understood the message, and he stopped struggling against her. “Fine,” he spat, shooting another hateful glare at his father. “But you stay the hell away from Leia! Don’t touch me! Don’t talk to me, and I  _ swear, _ if you hurt Leia again…” 

Anakin held his hands up, taking a step back. “I swear, I don’t know  _ what _ you’re talking about, kid.” 

Somehow, she sensed that was only mostly true. 

“Just. Stay. Away.” 

“Okay, Luke,” Obi-Wan soothed. How he sounded so calm and rational when the situation was clearly anything but that, Leia didn’t know. “Let’s just get you to safety, alright?” 

Now Luke glared at him. “Don’t you come near me either.” 

“I’ve got you, Luke.” Leia promised, awkwardly slinging his good arm over her shoulder. “Just...lead the way.” She motioned with her free hand toward the two bewildered Jedi.

Obi-Wan and Anakin glanced at one another, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, but unless they planned on drugging Luke, there was no way they could change the situation. “Alright. Follow me.” Obi-Wan motioned. 


	2. Complicated Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the chaos continues! I meant to post this earlier, but I stupidly left my laptop in my friend's car and of course she lives on the other side of town. Totally my fault. But it's back now, so we press onward! I hope you enjoy! ^_^   
> Love,   
> LadyVader23

How had it ended up like  _ this? _

All he’d wanted was a way to end the war. When Rex had approached him with news of strange activity on Dathomir, he’d arrived expecting...maybe Maul? Maybe Nightsisters returned from the dead? He truthfully hadn't known  what  to expect. But when he’d arrived and explored the ruins of their home and rather creepy temple, all he’d found was an old spell scrawled on a tablet sitting on a lonely table. Nothing else. 

A spell to grant one wish. Any wish. 

It was too good to be true and clearly a trap, meant to be found...maybe even specifically by  _ him _ . 

But he and Obi-Wan had been out in the Outer Rim, bogged down by battles for three solid months. Three months of endless death and destruction with literally no end in sight. Three months of chasing phantom rumors of Dooku and Grievous in the hopes of ending it all for the good of the Republic.

Three months since he’d been home. Since he’d seen his beloved wife. Since he’d held her, kissed her, breathed in her scent, felt her presence. Her warmth. Her heart steadily beating against him as she snuggled close to him at night in her sleep.

Force, he just wanted to go home! At long last, to Padme.  To say that he was tired and that his nerves were completely frazzled was an understatement. Some of his most daring rescues were pulled off when he was in this state of mind, true, but some of his worst decisions were also made when he got like this. 

So. He’d taken the bait, and now, somehow, he’d plucked his own  _ son _ from the future, along with some girl who knew Luke well but seemed to hate him as much as his own son did. 

Force, this had 'disaster' written  _ all _ over it.

All right in front of Obi-Wan, who had arrived too damn late to stop him by mere seconds. Now, the consequences of his actions were laid bare before his former master, and along with it, his most closely guarded secret. 

He wanted to deny that he’d summoned his future son. Time travel was, of course, ridiculous. Impossible even. But  _ something _ drew him to the boy. A pull, refusing to be ignored. H e knew what it was. It was the beginnings of a bond, forged intimately through the Force. It was something that was usually formed over months or years between a padawan and their master, and yet in a matter of mere hours, his bond with this boy was now just as strong as the ones he shared with Obi-Wan or Ahsoka.

And it was getting stronger by the hour, which was also a serious problem because the boy either purposefully wasn’t shielding, or couldn’t because he didn't know how. Even on the other end of the star destroyer, he could feel Luke's agony--not physically. Not anymore. His son was currently being operated on by the best medics he had on the ship, and was under anesthetic.  No. It was currently all emotional. Which was somehow even worse. 

Especially since that emotional agony was caused by a future version of himself. 

Darth Vader. That’s what the boy had called  _ him _ . A Sith title. A Sith name. 

His entire being wanted to reject the insane idea that  _ he _ could ever become a Sith. He hated them! He fought to protect the galaxy  _ from  _ them. The idea of Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One of Jedi lore, falling to the Dark Side and becoming a Sith Lord was completely ludicrous. 

And yet there was no lie in the boy’s accusations. 

He was being truthful.

Now, Anakin sat alone in an empty board room he’d never been in before. Shamelessly hiding: From the truth, the accusations, the shame he didn't want to face. He knew Obi-Wan would come and find him eventually. He always did. The viewport across from him overlooked Dathomir. He’d ordered Admiral Yularen to stay in orbit over the planet, though he hadn’t told him why. No doubt, his Admiral was anxious to get back into the thick of battle, but Anakin couldn’t exactly tell him he’d cast a spell and accidentally summoned his future  _ son _ (and friend) and now probably had to figure out how in the hell to put him (them) back in his (their) own time (seriously, he didn’t even know what to do with the spitfire that was his son’s friend...girlfriend?). If there was an answer to that mystery, it was probably still on Dathomir. 

Great. Just great.

But first, he needed to contain the fall out of...everything. Like what this boy's very existence  _ meant.  _

Damn, he was in  _ so _ much trouble. And not just with the Council. Worse, Padme was going to be  _ pissed. _

He currently stared at the medical report for his son.  _ Luke Skywalker.  _ That’s the name that the boy had given to the med droid taking his basic information, and the girl had confirmed it. Yet  _ more _ damning information linking them. He’d have to destroy it before the Council…

Except Obi-Wan  _ was  _ part of the Council. He hadn’t said anything since initially demanding to know if he was hiding something, but it would only be a matter of time. Oh, he was in a shitload of trouble all right.

He’d think about that later. 

Luke was twenty-two standard years old. He didn’t look like it. He was so small in stature, a good five inches shorter than he himself was, he looked far younger. If he’d had to guess, he would have said he was barely an adult. But no, Luke was physically a year younger than  _ he _ currently was. He had a healthy weight for his size, was a little dehydrated but that wasn’t abnormal after a battle. 

But his injuries… 

Multiple sprains. Minor lacerations. Shock from...from the missing hand. A cauterized wound. Like the one a lightsaber left behind after it severed a limb. His right mechanical hand tightened unconsciously. 

He knew  _ that _ particular feeling all too well. 

He knew the burning agony that increased with every minute it was left untreated. He knew the phantom spasms and pain even after the new mechanical hand was fitted. He still felt it, years after Dooku had cut it off. Not as often now, but it was still there. 

And if he’d done  _ that _ to his own son…

He sensed Obi-Wan’s arrival before the doors hissed open. He didn’t dare look up, not as he listened to his old master sigh and close the door before sitting across the table from him. 

“Luke will be fine.” Obi-Wan announced after a long moment of silence. “I thought you’d want to know.” 

Anakin clenched his jaw and nodded. 

“I...ah, asked them not to draw his blood.” 

“Why?” That had Anakin looking up in utter surprise. He’d expected Obi-Wan to want to immediately get to the bottom of his dirty secrets with genetic confirmation of the obvious.

Obi-Wan rubbed a weary hand down his face, suddenly looking like he’d aged ten years in a matter of hours. “Because I already know they’re telling the truth without a blood test. I mean, Force, Anakin! He looks  _ exactly _ like you, and beyond that it just...feels right in the Force. Kriff, the boy's Force signature is a supernova, almost as strong as your own! And since that’s the case, I think knowledge of your time traveling son getting out there," he motioned with a hand toward the viewport, "is a dangerous thing. If it were to get out  _ who _ Luke is and  _ how _ he got here, who knows who would seek him out to use him against the entire galaxy!!” 

He shifted uncomfortably. He hadn’t even considered that potentiality. All he’d thought about was how Luke’s arrival would out his secret. 

There was another loaded silence. Obi-Wan ran a hand over his haggard face again. “He’s Padme’s, isn’t he?” 

He opened his mouth to deny it...but as Obi-Wan said. It was obvious. With the Force confirming they had, indeed, pulled him from a future time, Luke’s features couldn’t be explained away in any other way. “How did you…?” 

Obi-Wan gave him an exasperated look. “I’m not an idiot, Anakin. Even if I didn’t already suspect you two had a relationship…” 

“Wait,” Anakin sat up straight, dropping the datapad on the table, “ _ What?”  _

His former master stared at him incredulously. “You don’t honestly think you’re  _ that _ sneaky about it, do you? I mean...seriously, Anakin, you sneak out of the Jedi temple almost  _ every night  _ when we're on Coruscant _.  _ Who do you think covers for you when someone wonders where you’ve gone?” 

He hadn’t even been aware that anyone had noticed. He’d spent hours coming up with the perfect excuses to be away from the Jedi temple at night. He thought he'd been so clever, so circumspect...

Obi-Wan wasn’t finished. “Need I remind you  _ who raised you?  _ The others don’t know you as well as I do, so they likely haven’t noticed your...disappearances like I have. Besides, you’ve always had a strong affection for Senator Amidala, even as a child and long before you became a Jedi. I just didn’t think you’d...ah, had children together.” 

“As far as  I  know, we haven’t.” He didn’t even think about the words. He was still reeling from the entire conversation. He expected Obi-Wan to react...well, like he always had whenever he'd screwed up. With exasperation, admonishment, and explanations about why what he’d done wasn’t becoming of a good Jedi, and how it would never get him to where he wanted to be on the council…

“And yet, your son is in the med bay right this very moment being treated for a missing hand he claims  your future self cut off.” He paused. “Your future  _ Sith  _ self, I might add.” 

“I wouldn’t.” He immediately stood and began pacing, suddenly feeling the urge to do something, anything, if only to prevent the future events that had his son hating him so much…

“I...I know,” Obi-Wan hesitated, and Anakin bristled at the obvious placating, “But...what if you did?” 

“There is no  _ what if,  _ Obi-Wan. I’ve worked for  years to destroy the Sith.  I’m supposed to be the one to destroy them, remember? So how in the  _ kriff  _ would I…?” 

“Technically,” Obi-Wan interrupted with a frown. “You’re supposed to bring balance to the Force.  _ That’s _ what the prophecy says.” 

“Which is done by destroying the Sith.” 

“I’d like to believe that, yes...but it doesn’t really specify  _ how _ you're to accomplish this.” 

Anakin stopped pacing, shooting a glare at his mentor. “I may have broken the Code, yes, but I believe in our cause, Obi-Wan. I would never,  _ ever  _ betray the Jedi!! Breaking a silly Code and betrayal of our comrades are two  _ totally _ different things. If you’re suggesting…” 

“Force, Anakin! No, that’s  not what I’m trying to say!” There was that old, familiar exasperation. The tone that meant Obi-Wan was trying to make a point and he felt Anakin wasn’t listening. “I’m trying to  help you here, dammit! Do you think I  want this future to happen, either?” 

Anakin crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. “Which one? The one where I have a son with my wife or the one where I become a Sith Lord?” 

He realized his mistake the moment Obi-Wan paled and his mouth fell open in shock. “ _ Wife? Did you just say 'Wife'?!”  _

Shit. 

“By the Force...I knew you two had  something going on but...your  _ wife?!  _ For how long?!” 

“You didn’t answer the question…” Somehow, he’d rather talk about potentially turning to the Dark Side over talking about his private love life. 

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “Of  _ course  _ I was talking about preventing you from falling to the Dark Side, now answer the damn question, Anakin!” 

Kriff!.

“Um.” Force, this was awkward. And embarrassing. Deep down, he’d  known this day would come eventually, but now that it was actually here, he was tempted to attempt to abandon ship with an escape pod to avoid talking about it. It wouldn’t work, though. Obi-Wan would hunt him down no matter  where he went. “Since...I brought her back to Naboo...after Geonosis?” 

Obi-Wan slumped back in his seat, his eyes widening. “That was  _ three years ago!”  _ He buried his face in his hands. “I thought...how have I been…?” 

“Well. Guess I haven’t been  that obvious after all then.” It wasn’t that much of a comfort in this moment, however. 

Obi-Wan seemed to agree. “Is there  _ anything _ else you want to tell me? Any other Code-breaking secrets you’re hiding?” 

He tried to remember if there was anything else. “No. That’s it.” 

“That’s it.” Obi-Wan scoffed. “That’s a huge  _ it, b _ ut I suppose it’s better than a whole list of secrets.” He rubbed his beard, deep in thought. “Hypothetically, if you were to turn to the Dark Side…” 

“I wouldn’t.” 

“I  _ know,  _ but hear me out. Hypothetically speaking...what would make you do it?” 

He didn’t even want to be hypothetical about it. The thought of turning into someone like Dooku or Maul made his stomach churn. He wanted to recoil away from even  thinking about it...but Obi-Wan had a point. Evidently, things would go wrong, very, very wrong in the future, and he needed to prepare for it whether he liked it or not. “I...I guess...maybe if I thought it would help others?” 

“You already help others. You don’t need to be a Sith to do that. In fact, Sith  _ don't  _ do that.” 

“I...I really don’t know. How am I supposed to know…?” 

“Well, what about this? If something were to happen to Senator Amidala, and you felt the Dark Side was the only way to save her life, would you do it?” 

Anakin’s mouth went dry, real fear beginning to settle in. Did Obi-Wan sense something through the Force? Did he know something and this was his way to tell him? Was she in danger? He hadn’t had a chance to reach out to her in months. In fact, the Chancellor himself had specifically ordered that he and Obi-Wan remain in the Outer Rim until things could be contained, and for that very reason, their mission needed to be on the down low. They couldn’t risk their transmissions being intercepted… 

“If Padme’s life was in danger, would you betray me? Would you betray the Jedi Order? Would you betray the entire Republic, democracy, hell  _ everything,  _ in order to save her?” Obi-Wan asked again when he didn’t answer. 

He couldn’t answer. He knew the answer. As a result, they both knew it. It didn’t need to be said. 

_ Yes.  _

“I need to contact her.” There was a high pitched ringing in his ears. Was that normal? No, probably not. He sat down, pulling his com link from his belt. He cast pleading eyes on his mentor. “Please. I know we’re not supposed to, but…” 

“This changes everything.” Obi-Wan nodded with resignation. “I know. Besides. It would seem you two have a bit of a...family matter to deal with on top of the whole 'preventing a bleak future for us all' thing happening.” 

“You don’t...I mean, Count Dooku is bad, and there’s a war going on, but...if I turned, I...I wouldn’t hurt an entire  _ galaxy… _ ” The reasoning seemed weak even to his own ears. 

His friend just shook his head, his expression grave, solemn. “If this unknown Master Sith Lord targets you in the future, Anakin, it’s  _ because _ you’re the Chosen One, and because of your unrivaled power in the Force. I hate to say it, but I fear something far, far worse would happen if you were to turn.” 

“Oh.” He said weakly. He was already thumbing in Padme’s frequency. “No pressure, right?” 

Obi-Wan didn’t respond, just let Anakin call his wife. 

* * *

Pregnant. 

The word slammed into her, over and over again. From the moment her med droid gave her the news after she’d thrown up all morning in the fresher of her private office, to sitting in her pod in the senate, barely listening as she quietly hugged herself, that word dominated her every thought, every breath, every step. 

Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant.  _ Pregnant.  _

_ Pregnant.  _

Force,  how did this happen? Well, duh...she knew  _ how _ . It's just...they'd always been so, so careful!  _ Well, except during those ten days on Naboo after he was knighted just before he left for the Outer Rim sieges,  _ her conscience reminded her. Oh yeah. That. She'd forgotten about that. His leave from the Jedi had been so unexpected, such a surprise that...in her haste to join him at Varykino for their secret rendezvous, she'd forgotten to pack her birth control.

Well. Just her luck. Now she was unexpectedly pregnant just as the war was cresendoing into (hopefully) its final stages. 

This was just perfect.  _ Not. _

Her husband would be shocked, to be sure. But she was more concerned about how  _ upset  _ he would likely be. 

Maybe she could hide it, at least until she could request leave to have the baby. Now, there was a thought. Granted, she was already starting to show  just the tiniest little bit. Given the stress she'd been under the last few months, what with the war escalating and her husband being off the grid fighting in the Outer Rim for months on end with no word on or from him, it was no wonder her entire body was out of whack. She'd been working longer hours, eating little, and sleeping even less. Small wonder her pregnancy was such a shock. Still, she could probably hide it under rather voluminous robes and have it in secret back home on Naboo. The Queen would likely be upset, true. She might lose her senatorship, maybe. The entire media, when they found out she  had a child, would want to know  who the father was, obviously. That kind of media spectacle would cause more drama than necessary, and in the middle of the war… 

Kriff, she was in  _ so _ much trouble!

She lowered her head into her hands wearily, oblivious to anyone else watching her. Beside her, however, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan stiffened, though he made no comment. The Senate was still in session, and would be for several more hours. So, now wasn’t the time to find out  why his good friend was acting so strangely and out of character.

She needed to pull herself together. Where was her normal durasteel-like composure? 

Easy answer.  She’d lost it the moment she’d heard, “ _ Congratulations, Senator Amidala, you’re pregnant!”  _

Pregnant…Oh Force.

Her parents and her sister didn’t even know she was  _ married _ . No one did. How would she explain this? Maybe she could convince Anakin to let her tell just her...well,  _ their... _ family. It wouldn’t be a hard argument, but the more people who knew of their relationship, the more likely they were to be found out.

Except now she was pregnant, and there was no doubt the child would be Force sensitive. Highly Force sensitive at that. With their luck, the child would be almost as powerful as Anakin. The Jedi would want...no,  _ demand _ answers. 

Not to mention the rights to the child to raise it from birth in the creche as a Jedi.

That thought soured her mood even further.

She ran over every scenario she could think of in her mind, but none of it mattered. She didn’t see how this could end any other way without everyone finding out the truth at some point. 

Which would disgrace her and Anakin both. Not to mention her family, Naboo, and the Jedi Order.

So, the obvious question would be, how and when did they want to come clean? 

More than ever, she wanted to call Anakin. She knew that she tended to be the more realistic one in their relationship. Hell, she was being  _ way _ too realistic about all of this right now. She could use some of her husband’s idealism. Sometimes she envied him that ability to act first and think about consequences later. If she was in  his shoes, she would have left the Senate right that moment. 

If only, right?

But...doing that wouldn’t change the situation. And, the Jedi wouldn’t tell her of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s whereabouts. Not even with her vaulted rank of one of the Senate's senior and most respected senators. In fact, storming into the Temple and demanding answers would probably raise suspicions. Plus, could they sense her baby? Probably. Jedi seemed able to sense just about everything else. Why not a pregnancy, too?

Axe  _ that _ idea.

No. The only other person who would possibly know where Anakin was would be the Chancellor. He was, after all, the leader of the Republic, and was constantly in the loop with what was going on with the details of the war effort. On top of that, he was like a mentor to her husband, so it made sense to her that he’d know where he was. Maybe he could even contact him… 

The practical side of her recoiled at the idea. She respected the Chancellor and all he’d done for her and her family. For Naboo and the Republic. She appreciated the advice he gave to her husband. 

She sighed. But the fact of the matter was, he’d been in power for  _ far _ too long. People continued to die all across the galaxy, and  any effort at peace talks were thwarted from the very top, which she admittedly found disconcerting, to say the least. Sometimes she felt like the war would never end, and Palpatine would stay in power for the rest of his life like some kind of dictator. That thought made her highly concerned…and gave her pause. 

So, if he found out she was pregnant, and with  _ Anakin’s _ baby, no less...what would he do with that knowledge? 

Something told her that wouldn't be wise. Or good.

But the side of her that wanted to be idealistic recognized that if she wanted  _ any _ hope of getting in contact with Anakin, Palpatine was the only man who could do it without immediately destroying her husband’s future with the Jedi. 

_ That’s what I’ll do,  _ she decided, sitting back up and schooling her features back into a picture perfect mask of the attentive senator. She still had no idea what was being said.  _ As soon as this is over, I’ll put in a request to see the Chancellor. I’ll...make up a story. But...what?  _

For the remainder of the meeting, she pondered different stories she could tell the Chancellor that would convince him to let her get in contact with Anakin. By the time the meeting adjourned, she wasn’t any closer to anything other than “I’m just concerned for his safety.” Which was still a highly suspicious story, but...maybe she could make it work. She was a politician after all. She could so this! She knew how to spin a story to her advantage with great adeptness. Besides, Palpatine was well aware that she and Anakin were close. Maybe it wouldn’t be  _ too _ odd to ask after his well being then… 

She still didn’t feel great about it, though. The Chancellor's frequent power grabs were definitely making her...concerned with the direction he was going in. Maybe she’d be better off to request the meeting for the next morning, after she’d had a chance to sleep on it…

“Padme, are you quite alright?” Bail asked, interrupting her inner thoughts, concern filling his voice as the senate session ended for the day. They stood to file out of the pod. “You seemed rather ill there for a few moments.” 

“Just a little nauseous today, Bail. I'm afraid something didn't agree with me this morning. Nothing to concern yourself with. But, thank you for asking.” It  _ was _ the truth, and considering she was well known in the tabloids as being single, probably not suspicious. People got sick with the stomach flu all the time. Or maybe she’d eaten something bad. Either were perfect, believable excuses, especially while she wasn’t yet significantly showing… 

But when the baby bump grew, what then? 

She needed to call Anakin. 

“Maybe you should lie down, then. I know what we do is important work, but it’s not worth the cost of your health.” Bail said as they shuffled into the hallway. She began to make her way towards the Chancellor’s office, Bail following close beside her. 

She needed to get rid of him. She didn’t want to raise questions…

“I’m fine, really. I got a clean bill of health before I came in today. I’ll lie down soon, I promise.” She gave him her best dazzling smile. 

Bail didn’t appear convinced. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to make  _ sure _ you get back to your office safely.” 

Kriff. 

_ Well,  _ she reasoned,  _ my office is on the way to the Chancellor's. I’ll go, wait for him to leave, then head over to see Palpatine. _

“If it puts your mind at ease, Bail, you’re more than welcome to do so.” She replied diplomatically. She didn’t want to offend her friend. 

“Great.” Bail smiled, visibly relaxing and together they headed to her office. 

By the time they reached it, however, her nerves were getting more and more frazzled by the second. She was certain that wasn’t good for someone in her...condition, which was all the more reason to push Bail out the door as soon as possible so she could sneak off to visit Palpatine.

Her office door swished open to reveal Threepio. 

“Oh, Senator!” Threepio cried, raising his arms in a gesture she recognized as relief. If there was one thing she could take comfort in, it was the fact that her nerves probably weren’t as bad as Threepio’s. She always thought the quirky golden droid was the most anxious being in the entire galaxy.  _ Everything _ rattled his circuitry. “Thank goodness you’ve returned.” 

“What is it, Threepio?” She asked, half expecting him to go on about missing items for the next meeting she’d planned with Bail and Mon Mothma. 

“Maybe now isn’t the best time. Senator Amidala isn’t feeling well…” Bail began, but she held up a hand to forestall him. 

“I promise, anything Threepio has for me, I can handle just fine. Thank you for walking me over, Senator Organa. I’ll see you tomorrow before the session.” 

Bail hesitated, glancing at Threepio, then nodded. “Alright.” 

She waited until he left before closing her door and turning back to face her droid. “Alright. What’s wrong?” She asked again. As soon as she was done speaking, she was sure Bail would be far enough away for her to sneak back out safely… 

“It’s Master Anakin!” Threepio explained in a rush, gesturing wildly to the comm on her desk. “He’s contacted you  _ nine times  _ in the last few hours! _ ”  _

All thoughts about Bail and Palpatine flew out of her mind, and for a moment she just stared at the golden protocol droid. Then, “ _ What?  _ Why didn’t you…? Show me!” 

Three months. She hadn’t heard from him in  _ three months.  _ She didn’t think she would until he returned... _ if  _ he returned… 

But why call? And why  _ nine times?  _ He knew that if she didn’t pick up, it was likely because she was in a senate meeting, unless something bad happened and… 

She hurried to her desk, Threepio trailing behind her. “I knew I should have answered,” He said, scolding himself, “If it was important and you missed the message…” 

She keyed in her code to unlock the encryption and began playing through the recordings her husband had left behind. 

“ _ Angel, when you get this, comm me.”  _

_ “Padme, it’s  _ **_really_ ** _ important. Comm me back.”  _

_ “I know you’re busy, but I promise  _ **_this_ ** _ is more important…”  _

They were all along those lines, each becoming more and more frantic without giving away any details. And with each message, she began to panic until she was practically hyperventilating. “Threepio,” She said when the last one played. 

“Yes, Senator?” 

“Cancel all of my remaining meetings today and inform anyone who asks that I am currently indisposed. If they ask for more details, explain that it’s a personal matter, and I will meet with them tomorrow and reschedule their appointment.” 

That wouldn’t go over well, true, but plenty of other senators took personal leave. She’d only done so when she was sick, so maybe they’d just assume she was sick. Especially after earlier today in the Senate chambers.

It was...sort of true. 

As soon as Threepio had shuffled out to follow her orders, she thumbed in the frequency Anakin had left behind for her to call. She waited, her free hand going to rest on her abdomen. This wasn’t how she planned to tell him. Then again, nothing today had gone as planned.

“ _ Padme?"  _ Anakin answered. He sounded exhausted and out of breath, but hopeful it was her on the other end. 

“Yes, Ani. It's me.” She closed her eyes, savoring his voice anyway, even as her heart clenched with worry. She’d missed him. “What’s wrong?” 

A pause. “ _ Well, Angel, I missed you, too…”  _

She loosed a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “I didn’t mean it that way, Ani. I’m sorry. You just have me worried. It’s not like you to call and leave so many messages…” 

_ “I couldn’t help it.”  _ He paused, and he sounded serious again. “ _ Angel, something’s happened.”  _

“What is it? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” She braced herself for the news. She knew this was a possibility, but at least she knew without a doubt he was alive. She’d helped him through a traumatic injury before…

_ “I’m fine. For now.”  _

Her brows knitted together. Then  why contact her?  “What are you _about_ to do?!” She asked before she could stop herself, panic dripping in her voice.

_ “I, ah, actually already did it.”  _

She blinked. That wasn't cryptic at all, was it. “But you’re not injured.” 

_ “No, I’m not injured. I promise.”  _ He sighed. “ _ Look, I can’t explain it here. I’m using a secure comm, but who knows what’s safe and what isn’t anymore? What’s happened is...well, it’s big, Angel. Huge, really. And I need you to come meet me.”  _

She sat back in her seat, stunned. Out of everything she’d expected, it certainly wasn’t  _ that _ . “I can’t just…” she began, but he cut her off. 

_“Please, Padme! I_ ** _know_** _you’re busy, but this...this is bigger than anything happening in the Senate. Seriously. I need you now more than ever. This concerns...you and I.”_ He didn’t say _our_ _family,_ but she knew he meant it. 

“If it’s between you and I, how is that bigger than anything in the Senate?” 

_“It just is!”_ His voice rose for a second, and he quickly attempted to control himself. “ _It just is, okay? I_ _told you, I can’t risk telling you anything more over this channel. Please, Padme. I need you to trust me.”_

“I do trust you, Ani.” She replied automatically even as her mind whirled with the implications of...whatever was apparently happening. Anakin was always asking her to run off with him to go on some romantic getaway, but he’d never done so in the middle of a campaign. He was too much of a good soldier, a great general to do that. So, if he was asking this of her, it had to be for a  _ very _ good reason. 

She would be lying if she said she didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to hold him again. It was all she’d dreamed about the longer he was away… 

And when she saw him, she could give him her news in person. 

The hand over her still flat abdomen fisted around the material of her dress. 

“Alright.” She said. “Where am I going?” 


	3. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter three! I've been sick all week, so today's the first day I've had any energy to do any posting. Leave some love!   
> Love,  
> LadyVader23

He could feel him. His father. He was a bright supernova in the Force, impossible to miss. So different than the dark black hole of Vader’s presence. That realization alone was enough to get him to listen to Leia the moment the doctor left the room, his new mechanical hand attached and working almost as well as his own natural hand.

Not that it made it any better. It was still wrong. It was still a product of his own father’s evil.

Even under anesthetic, he still felt like he’d been run over by a rancor. He  _ should _ be resting, he knew that but… “So, you're telling me we’re...not in  _ our _ time? We’re somehow in the past?” He asked for like the millionth time. 

Leia sat on the edge of his bed, still wearing the dirty white jumpsuit from Bespin. She hugged herself, her dark eyes distant as she answered. “Apparently so. And your father is really…?” 

She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to. 

Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker. Or rather, Anakin Skywalker, his father,  _ became  _ Darth Vader.

The cyborg who had tortured his friends. The Sith Lord who had forcibly held Leia back as her home world was destroyed in front of her own eyes. The man who had hunted them ruthlessly, relentlessly across the galaxy…

He was the son of Darth Vader. How messed up was  _ that? _

“Well. Now I kind of wish I’d let you attack him earlier.” Leia said bitterly, and Luke winced. He knew now that he’d been in shock. He probably had been since Vader had sliced his hand off. That would be enough to shock just about anybody, to be sure. His apparent father’s  surprising  announcement hadn’t helped that either, nor had escaping Cloud City by jumping off a railing into open space, to be caught by Lando on the top of the Falcon.

He doubted being kidnapped from his own time by a past version of his father helped matters much either.

He hadn’t exactly reacted  well once he’d distantly realized in his shock befuddled brain that he was yet again in his father’s presence. Even if it  _ was  _ his younger, pre-dark suit self. The man he’d once looked up to, the man he’d wanted to become like was  _ gone _ . After everything else he'd lied about, maybe Ben had lied about his father being a good man at one point, too. After all, people didn’t just wake up one day and decide over breakfast to become rampaging diabolically evil murderers, did they? Not good people, at least. 

So yeah. He hadn’t reacted well. 

But he could feel him now. He felt different. Good. Light. At least, he thought he felt good. Maybe it was just wishful thinking that not everything he’d been told by Ben was a lie. 

And yet...that still didn’t change anything. If Anakin Skywalker  had kidnapped him before he’d gone to Bespin, he would have followed him anywhere and everywhere, peppering him with questions about his life, his interests, his dreams for the future. He would have asked for him to teach him about the Force so he, too, could be a good Jedi. 

Now he knew better. Anakin Skywalker  _ wasn’t _ a good Jedi. Or, he wouldn’t continue to be at some point. And the thought of talking to him now…Well, it made him feel ill.

Memories. Memories of mechanical breathing in the dark. Of growled taunting words. Of lightsabers clashing. Of white hot pain slicing through his wrist. Of a horrible truth being thrown at him from a deep baritone voice. Of falling...falling…

He shuddered involuntarily.

No. It was best if he avoided Anakin Skywalker altogether, both here, and in thought and memory in the future. 

“I’m sorry you found out like that.” He said on a sigh. His voice sounded raw from all of the yelling he’d done over the last few days. Truthfully, he still felt like he should be yelling. He felt like he should never stop. Darth Vader…his father…Force, this was awful.

Leia shot him a confused look. “Why would you apologize for that?” 

“Well...he’s done far worse to you, Leia, and I know how you feel about him and  _ why, _ and now we’re stuck in the past because of him and…” 

She shook her head. “That may be true, but to find out that he’s your father  _ after _ he cut your hand off?!...It would have been terrible if neither of you knew you were related, but the fact that  he knew who you were and he  _ still _ chopped it off?!...Kriff, Luke! That just makes it ten times worse! So, please don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

It didn’t feel that way. If he hadn’t been dragged into the past and confronted with a younger version of his father while still in shock, he probably wouldn’t have told Leia at all. Or anyone, really. The very idea that the Rebellion’s poster boy was the son of Darth Vader…

Well. Either they’d announce it to the entire galaxy as a ' _ Look, even the son of Darth Vader hates the Empire'  _ message, or he’d immediately be treated with the highest suspicion. Maybe he’d even be asked to leave. Or thrown in the brig as a traitor.

All of which were terrible options. 

“Will you tell them?” 

She didn’t need to ask who he was talking about. “Of course not. That’s not my secret to tell.” 

He breathed out his first sigh of relief since Bespin. At least he didn’t need to worry about that. Maybe it was good Leia knew. 

But Leia didn’t looked relieved at all. Quite the opposite, actually. “We need to figure out  how to get home. ASAP.” She said, taking his good hand in her own. It was warm, and as her touch always did, it calmed him further. He squeezed her hand gently in response.

“I don’t know how to even begin helping with this.” He replied truthfully, dejectedly.

“It’s not some Force thing?” 

“No. At least, I don’t think so.” He knew pathetically little about the Force. Unfortunately. If he hadn’t left Yoda, he would have known more, maybe enough to point them in the right direction in this mess. But he hadn’t, and Vader had showed him just  how much he still needed to learn to even begin to call himself a Jedi, let alone be able to defeat a Sith Lord.

Leia frowned. “Well, as much as it pains me to say this...It would appear that we might have to rely on your...Anakin Skywalker for help here.” 

“ _ No _ .” His response was firm and emphatic. He wanted  _ nothing  _ to do with that man. Absolutely  _ nothing.  _ He had half a mind to legally change his last name to Lars if only to cut off as many ties as possible to him. 

“I don’t like it either. In fact, if I could, I’d kill him myself to keep him from ever becoming a galactic menace in the first place.” 

“Then why don’t we?” The moment the words left his mouth, he knew they were wrong. It wasn't the Jedi way for one thing, and they were spoken from bitterness and anger, and that was a path to the Dark Side. A path to becoming a Sith like his father. And he wanted no part of anything that might lead him in  _ that  _ direction.

“Because attempting to change the future in  _ any _ way could potentially make things worse. Already we’ve probably screwed it up.” It wasn’t often that Leia sounded worried, but he could hear it in her voice and see it in the way she bit her lower lip. 

He hadn’t even considered how them being pulled into the past would affect the future. If he had, he probably would have thought it was a good thing. Maybe he could save his father, and maybe even save the galaxy before it even fell to the Empire. But Leia’s realism grounded him. How many holovids had he seen over the years that dealt with the concept of time travel? It always seemed to cause more problems than it did solve them. 

“So, then wouldn’t us talking to him just continue to make it worse?” He asked as he tried to wrap his mind around their predicament.

“Probably. But I don’t see any other choice in this situation. Do you?” 

Luke was silent for a long moment. Her question was more rhetorical, because they  both knew she was right. Not that that made him feel any better. It didn't. And it felt childish to say what he wanted. After all, they clearly had bigger problems to deal with than the fact that they had to work with Anakin Skywalker to get out of this mess, but… “I don’t want to see him. Or talk to him.” 

He felt he had a right to say what he felt. Especially after losing his hand like he had.

Leia’s expression softened. “I understand.” And he knew she did. Better than anyone. “I honestly think that’s for the best to prevent the future from becoming more messed up. But I’m also sure  _ he _ won’t want to avoid  _ you _ .” 

She had a point. Damn it.

“I’m sure.” No, if Anakin Skywalker was anything like his future self, he’d probably hyperfocus on him.

“I’ll try to keep him away from you as much as possible. I’ll handle most of it.” 

“That’s not fair to you, though.” 

“I know, but I’m not his daughter. More than likely, he’ll…” 

She was interrupted by the doors opening, and in walked none other than Anakin Skywalker followed by Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

“Speak of the Sarlacc.” Leia dropped his hand and moved to intercept them. “No. You two.  _ Out.”  _ She pointed to the door as she stepped in front of them.

Anakin and Obi-Wan stopped, blinking as Leia approached them like a gundark ready to tear them to shreds. 

Though Luke didn’t want anything to do with him, or even with the younger Ben at the moment, he stole the opportunity to get a better look at his father and mentor. 

Mon Mothma had once told him that he looked exactly like his father, and she wasn’t wrong. They shared the same cerulean blue eyes and the same sandy colored hair. Their skin shared the same sun-kissed glow, the same chin...but his father was taller. By several inches. His muscles were toned, his face having lost all traces of softness. He looked his age, maybe even older than whatever age he currently was. 

He definitely didn’t inherit his stature from the man, that was for sure. 

Obi-Wan...Ben...looked far, far younger. Without living years on a desert planet plagued by two suns, his skin was much less weathered. But even then, Luke would have recognized him. He had the same blue eyes, the same calculating expression as he took Leia in, then Luke. He still had the beard. In fact, the flecks of gray in it was the only indicator that he was older than his counterpart. 

Luke didn’t miss the way the two Jedi dressed almost opposite. Ben in cream and tan as though he were innocent and pure. Anakin in dark brown and black, as if something deep in him knew of the dark fate that awaited him. It was almost as though he were looking at two opposites of the same coin. 

“We’re just here to check on Luke.” Ben...Obi-Wan said, lifting a hand in a calming gesture. He felt a ripple in the Force as he did so. He wasn't exactly sure what  _ that  _ was about, though. Strange.

“He’s fine. Now, you can leave.” Leia snarled. He didn’t know how she went from being so calm with him to being so furious with them in less than a few seconds. 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t actually know who  _ you _ are.” Anakin glared at Leia. 

“That’s because I didn’t tell you.” She glared right back. 

_ Well.  _ Luke thought distantly,  _ At least some things haven’t changed. _

“I came to talk to...to Luke.” He didn’t miss the way his father’s gaze flickered nervously towards him then back. 

“Obviously. But you’re going to stay away from him. He wants  _ nothing _ to do with you.” Leia got right into his personal space. A move she often did when she wanted to make sure her orders and the consequences for not following them were clearly understood. Even though she was so short, it usually worked.

But with Anakin? 

He was just as stubborn. In fact, he was pretty sure Vader used the same move on his subordinates. So, Anakin seemed to take it as a challenge. “I don’t know who you  _ think _ you are, milady, but you have  _ no _ authority here. This is  _ my ship.  _ Manned by  _ my crew.  _ You will  not keep me from my own son…” 

“I have every right to keep you from him. He is my best friend, you summoned both of us  together through your hocus pocus stuff. As far as  _ I’m _ concerned, none of this, including his injuries, would have happened if it weren’t for  _ you _ .” She didn’t even have to raise her voice to sound threatening. Luke was impressed. “Now. Get. Out.” 

Anakin bristled, opening his mouth to argue further, but Ben cut him off. “We are trying to prevent that unfortunate future from even happening. I know Anakin. He’s like my brother. He’s  _ not _ a Sith.” 

His father shot Ben a surprised glance, but it was gone before Luke could puzzle out what that meant. 

“We’re just trying to help.” Anakin said instead, and there was considerable effort to sound calmer than before. 

But Luke could clearly feel his frustration building, as well as his panic.  _ Search your feelings. You know it to be true.  _ Luke tilted his head and reached out with the Force, appraising both Jedi.

His...father was being genuinely sincere. So was Ben. They really  were just trying to help. Nothing else. Nothing nefarious, nothing  _ dark _ emanated from either man. Luke sensed only Light.

And yet…

His prosthetic twitched, a burning sensation spreading through his wrist. It was becoming hard to breathe. In his head, he heard himself screaming in denial, heard mechanical breathing, felt himself falling…

He spoke without thinking. “All I see when I look at you is Darth Vader.” It was true. So stupidly true. They didn’t look anything alike, and yet… “I want you to leave.” 

There was a heavy silence in the room for several heart beats. “If we can stop this future you speak of from happening, Darth Vader would never exist.” Ben reasoned, kindly. Luke recognized that expression. It was the same one he wore when he asked him to go to Alderaan with him to train as a Jedi. 

“You seemed pretty eager to let me kill him before.” The words were again out before he knew he was saying them, and Leia whirled to stare at him in surprise. He ignored her and continued to address the younger version of Ben. “ _ You _ told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father, not that he  _ was  _ my father!” 

He was raising his voice again. He rarely ever shouted, and yet something about being here, near these men who had played some role in the moment that had ruined his life, made him not give a damn how loud his voice got.

“Luke, stop talking!” Leia ordered. 

“Don’t tell him what to do!” Anakin snapped, though Luke could now feel his father’s confusion and repulsion from the new information. 

“ _ I’m _ his commanding officer, I'll have you know! So, I can and I will tell him to shut up!” Leia snapped. “Don’t you two idiots get it?! Helping you change the future may make it all worse!” 

“How is me turning into a Sith Lord and hurting my son not the worst possible outcome?” His father demanded. 

“Because you might have found me as a kid and raised me to be exactly like you.” Luke said bitterly. 

“ _ Luke!”  _

Damn. He was really bad at keeping his mouth shut. “I want you to leave. Now.” 

“It won’t be worse! I can stop it, I can…” Anakin tried, but Luke was shaking his head firmly.

“No. I have no reason to trust you.  _ Either _ of you. You both need to leave. Now.” 

His father opened his mouth, stepping forward, probably to continue to try convincing him, but the movement made Luke flinch. Leia tensed, even as Ben reached out and grabbed Anakin by the shoulder. “Let’s give him some space, Anakin. He’s been through a lot, and he needs to rest.” 

Now Anakin flinched, and he threw a guilty look at Luke. Again, it was sincere. He could feel it. 

But he didn’t care. 

“I’m sorry.” Anakin said, voice hoarse. “I’m  _ so _ sorry, Luke.” 

“You won’t be.” He needed to shut up. He needed them to leave, before he made everything worse than it already was… 

Anakin shook his head. “No. I know myself. There is  _ nothing _ more important to me than my family.” 

Luke laughed bitterly. “You have a funny way of showing it.” 

“Luke.” Leia warned again. 

“I know, Leia.” He shook his head. “I won’t ask again.” 

Not that he could physically make them leave. Maybe Leia could, though...even against a Jedi, she was a force to be reckoned with. 

“Okay.” Anakin finally said. “I’ll leave you alone. For now.” 

“You will deal with me in the future.” Leia glared, hands on her hips. 

Anakin’s jaw tightened, his eyes darting back to Luke, and without another word, he turned on his heel and strode out of the med bay. 

“Your father is a good man, Luke.” Ben said when he’d left. “And a good friend.” 

“You told me that, too. At the same time as you lied to me about him.” 

“Then I wasn’t completely untruthful. I’m sorry that I played a hand in hurting you. That...likely wasn’t my intention.” 

“A lot of good it did.” He grumbled. 

“Even so. He’s a good man. I want to save him, save you. Save everyone. Please...at least consider it.” 

“We’ve made up our minds.” Leia said darkly. “Now, why don’t you two moon jockeys figure out how to send us home, hm?” 

Ben’s brows shot up at the insult, but he didn’t comment on it. “We’ll see what we can do.” Then without another word, he too left, following after his friend. 

Leaving Luke feeling more drained and hollow than ever. 


	4. The Craziest Truth Possible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! I like this chapter a lot. You'll see why!

As soon as she was docked in a suspiciously empty hangar aboard Anakin’s relatively new star destroyer, Padme lowered the ramp of her J-type Star Skiff and raced out. 

There were two reasons for this. One, she saw Anakin waiting for her, a lone figure in his familiar Jedi robes, arms crossed over his chest, his feet shifting agitatedly. The picture of anxiousness. Two...she was certain she was going to be sick. Again. The entire flight had been filled with multiple trips to the fresher. She was ready to be on mostly solid ground again. 

She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Anakin break out into a run towards her, and they met together in the middle, arms encircling one another, squeezing tightly. That is, until he picked her up and swung her around and around. A gesture full of love and longing, and she loved him for it…

But her stomach sure didn’t. 

“Ani,” she gasped, but was cut off by his lips crashing eagerly into hers. It didn’t erase the feeling of her stomach flip-flopping queasily, but she couldn’t help but close her eyes and savor it just the same. By the Force, she missed this. She missed  _ him _ . She missed his passionate, sweet kisses that conveyed exactly what they  both felt for one another. Love. Deep, unrelenting devotion and pure love. 

But...once again, her stomach protested, and she didn’t think he would appreciate it if she threw up during such a lovely, satisfying moment. And though the hangar was uncharacteristically empty, they were still on a warship...in the open, exposed for anyone to see. Not good.

At that moment, her stomach rolled again, insistent on ejecting whatever remained in it.

She pulled away in a panic. “Ani, put me down.” 

Anakin let out a frustrated grunt as he bent his head and went in for another searing kiss. “No one will see, Obi-Wan and I ordered everyone to stay out…” 

“Put me down! NOW!” She shrieked and physically pushed against his chest, and this time he let go just in time for her to whirl around, sink to her knees, and puke all over the durasteel floor.

Anakin was on the floor beside her in a second. “Padme, what…?” He reached for her hair to pull it back, but it was already up in buns, so he awkwardly and worriedly placed his hands on her back. He rubbed soothing circles with gentle fingers until she was done heaving up the entire contents of her stomach. “Are...what... _ I need to get a medic!”  _

With each word, his voice rose in panic until he was practically in hysterics. It occurred to her then that Anakin was completely new to the idea of children or pregnancy. He was an only child, raised in environments that had little to nothing to do with a healthy childhood. He likely had no idea about  _ any _ of this. 

“It’s okay, Ani. This is normal.” She gasped out to try to reassure him.

“ _ Normal?!  _ This is obviously  _ not… _ ” 

“Ani.” She interrupted, straightening up to face him while wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Something wonderful has happened.” 

He stared at her, then glanced at the mess she’d left on the hangar bay flooring, then back at her, giving her a completely unbelieving look. 

“I’m pregnant.” 

He rocked backwards, his eyes widening in shock, his hands pulling away from her as though she’d burned him. A million emotions flashed across his expression in a matter of seconds; terror, joy, dread, happiness, longing…He let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes for a moment. “That’s...that’s…” he trailed off, his expression settling on what she thought might have been realization, then horror, and his skin completely drained of color. “We don’t have much time.” 

This...wasn’t an encouraging reaction. Certainly  _ not _ the reaction she'd been expecting anyway. She could feel herself getting defensive. “You’re not happy about this.” 

“ _ No _ , I am! But...but  _ we don’t have much time.”  _ His hands were at her elbows, attempting to lift her up to her feet.

She refused to move, however, her brows pulling together in confusion. “I’m pretty sure we have plenty of time to figure things out, Ani. Babies don’t just pop out instantly out of nowhere.” 

He glared at her, his mouth pinching into a flat line, then a second later she yelped as he swept her up into his strong arms and began marching her across the hangar with a determined stride. “This is serious, Padme.” 

Yes, she was  _ definitely  _ getting upset now. “RealIy? You think? I didn’t notice.” She sarcastically snapped. “Put me down!” 

“Are you going to walk?” 

“I am  _ not  _ a child, don’t you dare treat me as such…” 

“I’m not trying to!” She paused at the pure panic in his voice. His grip on her tightened. “Look, something’s happened, Angel...and I’m afraid the news that you’re pregnant isn’t...totally a surprise…” 

She tensed at his admission. “How? I  just found out less than twenty-four hours ago.” 

They had left the hangar and entered a hallway. At the end of it stood Obi-Wan, arms crossed over his chest, a grave expression on his face, his normally twinkling blue-green eyes shadowed with concern. A bad feeling began to sink into her gut. “Anakin...What’s going on?” She asked. 

“Obi-Wan knows about us.” He said without preamble, his own expression a cross between a grimace and trepidation.

The bad feeling turned to dread. 

So, what she’d feared had already begun. But again… “ _ How?”  _

“You haven’t told her yet.” Obi-Wan observed with a twist of his lips as they approached him. 

“No.” Anakin said gravely. “Not out in the open. This is a private matter. But we have less time than we thought.” 

Obi-Wan’s lips thinned, and his eyes landed back on her, resignation in his gaze. “You’re pregnant.” His declaration dropped between them like a blaster shot.

“Is this some kind of weird Jedi thing?! Can you sense the baby or something?” She demanded, exasperated at both men by this point. 

“Usually, yes, but...under the present circumstances...Ugh...I mean to say...Well, that is...We've just had our minds blown here and didn't expect  _ any _ of this,  _ so _ ...” Obi-Wan shrugged, as if that explained it. Whatever. No sense in worrying about spilled blue milk now. They had more  _ important _ matters to worry about anyway, evidently. The Jedi Master motioned, and a blast door opened beside them, revealing a small meeting room of some sort. “This way, Senator. It seems we have much to discuss.” 

She frowned.

His statement  _ wasn't  _ reassuring.

* * *

The moment Anakin sat her down in a rather uncomfortable, hard backed chair next to an oval conference table, she held up a hand, signaling for them to wait. She reached into a pocket on her belt, grabbed a couple of breath mints, and popped them in her mouth. Better. Puke breath was disgusting, and she didn't want the leftover sour taste in her mouth to make her sick _again._ That done, she immediately launched straight into business. “So are either of you going to explain what the _kriff's_ going on, or am I going to continue to get cryptic bullshit?” 

Anakin sat down in the chair beside her, taking her hand in both his own, rubbing worried circles into her palm. She refused to reciprocate the gesture, loving though it was. He’d convinced her to leave the Senate and Coruscant to come  all the way out here, only to tell her it didn’t surprise him to find out that she was pregnant, and that Obi-Wan knew they were together, and apparently,  _ he _ wasn’t surprised she was pregnant either…What. The. Hell?!

“Well. Go on, then, Anakin. Tell her what you did.” Obi-Wan said dramatically as he took a spot across from them, leaning back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. His look was a classic picture of _Explain how you screwed up_ _THIS time._

She turned her sharp gaze on her husband, one brow arched expectantly, which caused him to wince and give her an awkward, pleading smile that practically begged forgiveness. 

That was never a good sign. 

“What did you do?” she asked, her tone flat. Because of course, he’d done  _ something _ . He was  _ Anakin Skywalker.  _ There was a reason he was called the brash and impulsive Hero With No Fear. He did far too many daring, dramatic actions than was healthy - or advisable, and while it  thrilled the Republic when they heard about them on the holos, sending many a young feminine heart aflutter, it filled  _ her _ with a sense of dread. After all, she  knew better than anyone...other than maybe Obi-Wan...just what kind of shenanigans her husband could get into.

“I, ah, well, Angel…” he began. 

“ _ Angel?”  _ Obi-Wan snorted, looking both amused and exasperated.

Now, she shot  _ him _ a glare. “You hush. That is none of  your business." 

Obi-Wan raised his hands defensively. “Sorry, Senator. It’s just...strange. I’m not used to  this side of...you two...yet."

She rolled her eyes at the older Jedi and faced her husband again, raising an eyebrow. She had a feeling whatever her husband had done, it had led to Obi-Wan finding out about them. At least he didn’t seem inclined to shun them as Anakin often feared he would. “Explain.” 

Anakin took a deep breath, then in a jumbled rush explained, “Rex said there was strange activity on Dathomir, so we came to check it out, and I found a spell to grant a single wish, and _...Well _ , I used it and wished for a way to end the war, and long story short, it summoned  our future adult son and his random, really angry and bossy, I might add, friend... _ here. _ ” 

She stared, saying nothing for a long time as those words permeated and registered in her brain. That...was nowhere near what she was expecting him to say. “You...did... _ what?”  _

He winced at the dark tone of her voice. 

Obi-Wan smirked, adding helpfully, “Oh, he’s not even done. Go ahead. Tell her the rest.” Was the Jedi Master actually  _ enjoying _ this? 

Yeah, he was definitely in trouble. 

“And, see...well, it turns out the future  _ me _ had literally just finished chopping our son's hand off, because apparently I turn to the Dark Side at some point shortly after you give birth to him, becoming a Sith Lord, and he apparently wasn’t raised by either of us...why I don't know...because I either didn’t know he existed or didn’t know where he was because I didn’t find him until he was an adult, and so, anyway, he totally hates me and refuses to help us prevent this future from happening by telling us exactly what  _ did _ happen.” When he finished, he sucked in another deep breath. “Though I’m pretty sure that last part might also be fueled by his friend. Who also hates me.” 

Her eyes narrowed, her lips pinching together as she tried to comprehend everything he'd said and all of the possible implications. “Do you realize how  crazy this sounds?” 

“Oh yes, but it’s very clear the boy is your son.” Obi-Wan piped up, sounding far more cheerful than he undoubtedly felt. “For one thing, he’s super strong in the Force, with a presence I’ve only felt around Anakin or Yoda. And, he’s definitely  _ not _ Yoda’s son, since he's not green.” 

Anakin shot him an annoyed glare. “This is a terrible time for jokes, Obi-Wan.” 

“On the contrary. This whole situation would be far too depressing otherwise.” Obi-Wan shook his head. “No, he’s definitely yours and Anakin’s son. Besides, he looks  _ exactly _ like Anakin does now...only shorter.  _ Much _ shorter. He must get that from you, Senator." When she narrowed her eyes at him and huffed angrily through her nose, he mumbled, "Sorry."

Her hand unconsciously went to her abdomen as she processed this. Her son...perhaps the very child she was also currently carrying in her belly...was here. Right now. On this ship. As an adult. Claiming her husband becomes a Sith Lord who cut off his own son's hand.

Force have mercy...

“Where?” She breathed. 

“He’s in the medbay resting. The medics performed surgery on him to give him a mechanical hand...like mine.” Anakin replied sourly. “He refuses to see either of us. Apparently Obi-Wan's future old man self, whom he calls _Ben,_ by the way, told him my Sith alter ego betrayed and murdered me, so he also views Obi-Wan as a liar now.” 

“You turn into a Sith?” She said the words aloud, tasting them on her tongue. They were...wrong. “I don’t believe it.” 

“The boy’s hand was severed by a lightsaber, Senator.” Obi-Wan explained kindly. “And he’s made it  _ very _ clear that he views our Anakin here," he waved a hand toward his former padawan, "as this future Darth Vader, which  _ is  _ a Sith title. The Force rings with the truth when he says it. So, he's not fabricating anything. He's being completely truthful.” 

No. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't! 

Hallucinations weren't normally part of pregnancy...were they? She pinched herself.

It was all real.

She was shaking her head, staring at her husband, really seeing him clearly for the first time in months. He looked totally miserable, and for the first time, she noted just how  _ exhausted _ he looked. He seemed to have aged years since she'd last seen him. “You’re...you’re  _ not _ a bad person, Ani.” 

“Thanks, Angel.” He replied with a sigh and a small smile directed her way. “I’d like to believe that, too.” 

“And, what about me?” She was almost afraid to ask. “There’s no way in all the Corellian hells I’d let you live the life of a Sith. Not quietly anyway.” 

Anakin’s expression darkened. “So far, he's not mentioned you at all, and he refuses to tell us anything else. So, I don’t know where you fit in in the future.” 

This entire situation was insane. Beyond it really. To even be considering how to handle such a state of affairs was surreal. And yet...here they were, and now there was a deep horrifying  _ fear _ settling in her gut that had absolutely nothing to do with the Jedi or the public finding out about her pregnancy, her marriage, or even the war and how it would affect her and her family. If this truly did end the way this boy said and her husband fell to the Dark Side… 

She needed to compartmentalize. She excelled at doing so. It was how she dealt with the worst the Senate had to offer. 

She took a deep breath, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she fought to get into this mindset. It was harder than usual. Unsurprisingly. “So, why won’t he tell you anything else? Is this only because he views you as an enemy who’s harmed him?” 

Anakin scowled. “No. That  _ friend _ of his has gotten it into his head that by telling us anything else and thereby,  changing the future, could make things worse.” 

She made a face. She didn’t want to agree  _ but… _ “The friend may have a valid point.” 

“Good to know you’re totally fine with me becoming a Sith, my Love…” Anakin immediately growled, and she glared at him.

“Don't be like that, Ani. I didn’t  _ say _ that. I’m just trying to prepare myself, and that means recognizing the good arguments, as well as the bad. True, they have a valid point, but there aren’t many worse outcomes imaginable than the most powerful Jedi ever falling to the Dark Side and becoming a Sith Lord. Who, I'm assuming, ends up terrorizing the galaxy, since you have the gumption to attack and mutilate your own son in the future. And since we now know  _ that _ nightmarish scenario apparently  does happen if we change nothing else moving forward, we should have a decent chance to change things and prevent that purgatory from ever occurring.” 

Anakin rubbed his eyes with his natural hand. Force, he looked  _ so  _ damn tired. He definitely needed to rest. He was becoming  far too much on edge. “I know. I’m sorry. I guess I should just be glad you’re here to help. The girl and I...we’re  _ far _ too much alike in our anger. It won’t be pretty if I go back in there. Maybe she’ll listen to the best Senator in the galaxy.” 

Padme snorted at that. “I don’t know about  _ that _ , but I can try.” She stood. “So, given that you going back in there at the moment would cause any hope of a peaceful interaction to disappear, you’ll stay here and get some rest. Obi-Wan will take me to see them. After all, they don't call him 'The Negotiator' for nothing.” 

Anakin opened his mouth to protest, but Obi-Wan cut him off. “That’s a great idea, actually.” 

Padme nodded, then paused, almost afraid to ask the next question. “The boy’s name...our son. What is it?” 

“Luke.” The name was practically whispered, reverently...worriedly. She didn’t miss how her husband glanced down at her abdomen. 

They didn’t have much time, indeed. 

She swallowed back her fear and the absolute strangeness of going to see her adult future child. “Don’t think for a moment I’m not furious with you for pulling such a risky stunt, Ani. You  _ know _ how dangerous the Nightsisters were.” 

He flinched and gave her a cocky grin that didn’t quite touch his eyes. “I handled it.” 

“Right. _Sure_ you did. That’s why you needed me to risk coming out to the Outer Rim, while _pregnant_ , during a war...because you 'handled’ it.” She replied dryly, then squared her shoulders, turning to Obi-Wan. “Alright. Let’s go meet my future son.” 


	5. Mother

Ok.  Something _else_ was strange.

He could  _ feel _ it.

The first clue Luke had that something was up was when he felt his father’s presence noticeably calm. Not completely--not like he’d sensed in old Ben’s presence, or even Yoda’s. He was tempted to probe why. When had he ever sensed his father in any remote state of calm? Never, not even here--though maybe he’d had something to do with his lack of calm at the moment, he acknowledged.

And Leia hadn't helped matters either, to be sure.

The second clue was sensing Obi-Wan's and another unfamiliar, non-Force sensitive presence approaching the medbay. Together. 

“Leia.” Luke reached over and gently shook her awake. She’d fallen asleep next to him in the rather small, uncomfortable bed, but he wasn’t about to let her sleep on a hard-backed chair, either.

“Wha…? What…? Luke? Everything alright?” Leia startled awake, blinking as she attempted to get her bearings. 

“We have company.” He told her, grimly, nodding toward the bay doors. That was enough for her to wake up fully, and she was standing in a matter of seconds, attempting to straighten herself out, ready to intervene should the two Jedi attempt another confrontation.

But Obi-Wan...Ben?...Whatever...didn’t come in. He stayed right outside of the medbay. Instead, the other presence hesitated, then entered. 

Leia crossed her arms, ready to rip into the newcomer, but she stopped cold, her shock registering on her face and in the Force. “S-Senator Amidala?” She gasped, utterly surprised. 

An amazingly beautiful, dark haired, petite woman stood still at the end of the room, letting the blast doors close behind her as she stared...stared intently at  _ him _ . Though she did spare Leia a quick glance...and did an instant double take, shock blooming on her own face. That caused Luke to frown before looking over at his friend. 

Obviously, this Senator Amidala didn’t know Leia. Not yet, at least; although, Leia  _ definitely  _ knew who this stranger was. But, he sure didn't. Come to think of it,  _ he _ hadn’t ever heard of a Senator Amidala as being a Rebel sympathizer, let alone working for the Rebellion. Maybe she was...would eventually be loyal to the Empire? He couldn’t exactly ask without revealing anything, so he kept his mouth shut. 

At least he did, until he saw what it was that had drawn the senator’s eye. “Wow. You two look like twins!” 

Stupid. He shouldn’t have said that. From the sigh Leia made, he knew he’d hear about it later. 

But it was nonetheless the truth. He wasn't  _ blind  _ here. Senator Amidala looked like Leia’s doppelganger. She had the same dark brown hair pulled into buns on the side of her head that reminded him of Leia’s hair when he’d first met her. They had the same dark eyes with the exact same shape. Her frame was slender and small, though she was  _ slightly _ taller than Leia. Not by much, though. The curve of her face...the way she frowned at Leia…

It was eerie to behold. 

“Why are  _ you _ here, Senator?” Leia asked, not unkindly. In fact, her tone was almost reverent. That fact alone raised Luke's eyebrows. Leia rarely used that tone with  _ anyone.  _ He looked with renewed interest on their visitor. 

Okay, maybe the senator wasn’t part of the Empire. There was no way Leia would speak that way to anyone associated with the enemy. Maybe she was neutral, then? 

Leia’s question seemed to break the senator from her spell, and she blinked, shaking her head, focusing again on Luke. “I’m here to speak to Luke.” 

“Me?” Luke frowned. The only politician he’d ever really spoken to for an extended period of time was Leia. Sure, he talked to Mon Mothma occasionally, but Mothma never sought him out specifically. So, why was a senator from the past interested in him? “ _ Why? _ ” 

A dark look passed over Senator Amidala’s face, and she touched her abdomen. “So, you don’t know who I am, then.” 

Leia quickly moved to save the situation, since she obviously knew her better. “He’s just a farm boy. He’s not had much exposure to politics…” 

The senator shook her head. “That doesn't matter. He should still know me anyway, because  _ I’m _ his mother.” 

There was silence. Leia made a strangled noise of...surprise? Or maybe horror that this woman she apparently deeply respected was somehow involved with Darth Vader? He wasn’t sure, and he didn’t care. 

All he cared about now was the woman before him.

His mother.

He’d asked about his mother. Once. His aunt and uncle told him they didn’t know who she was, though his aunt privately told him of meeting someone who  _ might _ have been her. There was never a name given, though. Never even a description of her. He’d had more details to hold onto when it had come to his father, so he’d focused on him instead. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to know her, of course. He did. Desperately, in fact. He just never thought, given how little information there was, he’d ever find out. And Ben had never said anything about her either.

But here she was. Standing right in front of him, though still backed against the blast door. As if she were afraid to approach. Tentatively, he reached out to confirm her statement through the Force. There was no fear, only concern and uncertainty, as well as disbelief and…

He gasped as a wave of nausea hit him, just as the Force confirmed she wasn’t alone. 

No. She was most definitely pregnant. Judging by the way touching that little bright light of the Force residing within her belly, it was _him_ in her womb. _Force!_ Here he was lying in a medical bed, but simultaneously, he was also forming in her body. 

Apparently, the Force didn’t appreciate the duality. 

He rapidly withdrew, breathing hard as a cold sweat broke out on his skin. 

“What’s wrong?” Senator Amidala asked in concern, starting to approach. 

Another wave of nausea hit him, and he quickly held up his new mechanical hand. “Stop!” 

She froze, eyes wide, staring at the mechanical hand for a moment before looking at his face, taking him in. “I’m sorry for this entire...well... _ mess.  _ Anakin...your father...doesn’t always think things through before he acts.” 

“N-No,” Luke groaned, waving his hand. He was about to throw up… “Back up. Please! You’re making me sick.” 

Wrong thing to say. She reeled back, dark eyes that reminded him so much of Leia’s flashing with hurt. He swallowed thickly, then amended, “I can sense...sense your baby. It's  _ me _ you’re pregnant with. The Force...doesn’t like the time anomaly, I think.”

She still stood there, frozen, as her gaze slipped from him to Leia. “That, ah, actually makes sense.” She hesitated. Force, why wouldn’t she  _ move?  _ Did she enjoy torture as much as Vader did? “But...then why is your friend also like that…?” 

He forced himself to breathe steadily as he turned to look at Leia. Sure enough, she had doubled over, though she was now attempting to stand. “I’m...I’m fine.” She too looked like her skin had turned a bit green and clammy, and she drew in little gasps for air. “Must be something...I ate…” 

But now he was staring at her, a gnawing suspicion forming in his gut. Memories surfaced--of feeling drawn to Leia the moment Artoo showed him her holo message. He’d instantly trusted her. He’d instantly felt the need to protect her, writing it off at first as him being attracted to her. But even before he’d said one word to her, he’d felt protective of her. And, he always seemed to know when she needed someone, when she was upset, when she was about to do something dangerous. 

Luke chewed on his lip as he turned these thoughts over in his mind.

And...she’d  _ heard _ him. On Bespin. He’d  _ known _ instinctively to call out to her when Ben had abandoned him. Her, out of everyone… 

And she’d heard him. 

Senator Amidala stepped back until she was against the blast doors, and the ill feeling went away...for  _ both _ of them. 

Did this mean what he was starting to realize it meant? He was almost afraid to ask.

“What’s your name?” She asked Leia, though there was a tone in her voice that said what Luke was now starting to realize... 

Leia stood, frozen. Though her skin color had returned to normal, she still appeared a bit ill. “I can’t tell you that.” 

“It’s Leia, isn’t it.” 

She knew. Of course she knew. She was his mother...No. She was  _ their  _ mother… 

Leia. His sister. His  _ twin  _ sister. 

__ It was so obvious, how in the  _ hell _ had he missed it? 

“You know me. But I don’t think you  _ know  _ me, do you?” Senator Amidala said, softly. Leia was silent, just staring at the senator. “I’m not there for you. Either of you. Am I?” 

Again, neither of them said anything. Not because he didn’t want to respond. He did, desperately. But he was reeling, and his whole world was changing, being turned on its ear all over again, but if he asked what he  _ wanted _ to ask, more secrets would be revealed. 

“So. Since I’m not there for you, that means I’m dead, obviously. There’s no way I’d have left the two of you otherwise.” The Senator concluded. Oddly, she didn’t sound worried, just mildly disturbed, as if she frequently talked about the possibility of her dying. 

Leia cleared her throat and finally spoke. “We didn’t say that. You could have other things preventing you from being with us. Like maybe...maybe Darth Vader.” There was a little of that bitterness in her voice, but it didn’t  _ quite _ sound sincere. It was as if the fire that normally drove her had simply died out. 

Because, damn it all, Darth Vader was  _ her _ father, too. The man who had tortured her, held her back as her home planet blew up in front of her, threw Han in carbonite… _ That _ was her father. 

He’d known she was adopted, but he would  _ never _ have imagined this. Not in millions of years.

“There is  _ nothing _ and no one who would keep me from my own children.” The senator replied firmly. “So, if you don’t know me, then I suppose another piece to this puzzle has been solved, though it does raise more questions than it answers.” 

“We can’t tell you.” Leia's response was automatic, drained of the stubbornness he was so used to. 

The Senator...their mother...nodded. “Because you don’t want to make the future worse. I understand.” 

“Then why come?” Luke asked this time. He reached for Leia’s hand, pulling her back to the bed so that she could sit down. She followed without protest. That in itself was a concerning sign. 

Their mother looked at them, something akin to longing crossing over her expression. Then, “I wanted to meet my son. I didn’t...Well. It’s not often that I am speechless. There were other things I wanted to say, but…” her hand went back to her abdomen, caressing roughly the area where their tiny bodies currently grew. 

“ _ Twins.”  _ She breathed to herself, softly. 

She hadn’t known. It wasn’t surprising, she didn’t look obviously pregnant. Not yet, anyway. But it was yet another thermal detonator they’d accidentally thrown into potentially changing the future. 

The senator shook her head. “I think I need to go.” She said, straightening up. “I need to...I’m so sorry, I…”

She paused, staring at them again, longing and heartache in her eyes. “I don’t know either of you. I only just found out I was even carrying a baby. But...already I want you to know that I love you. Both of you. So very much. And...please know that your father and I  _ both _ longed to hold you and love you and raise you. You were  _ wanted _ ...by  _ both _ your parents.” Her voice broke, her eyes filling with tears. 

“Please don’t cry…” Luke began, horrified. He never knew what to do when women cried, even less so when it was a past version of the mother he’d never known. He suddenly had a horrible image of Darth Vader appearing to cut his other hand off for making her cry. 

But she shook her head. “I’m not upset at  _ you _ . That’s not how I mean any of this. I just...it’s a lot to take in. To be told my future son is here, grievously injured because of a future version of my husband, then to find out I’m carrying twins…” She stopped, tears beginning to flow down her soft cheeks. “I...I need to go. I’m sorry.” 

Luke opened his mouth...to what? To stop her? It wasn’t like he could get up to comfort her, not without feeling sick and who  _ knew _ what that would do to the babies she was carrying, but she had already turned and opened the blast doors, leaving before another word could be said. 

There was a heavy silence in the room. 

“You’re my twin sister.” Luke finally said, feeling like he was speaking through numb lips. 

“It's obvious, isn’t it?” Leia replied softly. 

His thoughts exactly, but… 

“And Senator Amidala...she’s our mother.” He didn’t dare say who their father was. They were well aware, and Leia didn’t look like she could fully process it at the moment. The senator seemed...kind. Good. Sincere. If she had Leia’s respect previously, that obviously spoke volumes to her character. 

“Her name is Padme Amidala. She was queen of and then a senator from Naboo. She...died before...or I guess,  _ after  _ we were born.” Leia turned to look at him, lips pinched and face pale. “She was...the spark of the Rebellion. She inspired my fat...my adoptive father and Mon Mothma to pursue democracy even after the Republic fell. She worked with both of them in the Senate. They were all friends. She was... _ is _ ...my hero.” She looked back towards the door where their mother had left. “And she was with Darth Vader…” 

Leia knew far more about the woman than he knew about either of his parents. He envied her that...though he understood the conflicting emotions running through her at this moment. Through both of them. And yet...if such a woman was their mother, then what did that say about their father? 

He couldn’t think about it. Not then. Not when he could feel Leia’s pain. The pain of his twin. 

“Leia.” 

At first, she still stared at the blast door, but then finally she turned back to him. There were tears in her eyes. Quietly, he held his arms out to her, and her expression crumpled. She didn’t hesitate to throw herself into his arms, and he held her like that for a long time, saying nothing as her tears soaked his medical gown through. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, now they know about Leia! Padme's talk definitely didn't go as planned, not with THAT bombshell. Now how will Anakin react? Will the twins finally start talking???? Stay tuned to find oooouuuut!!!!   
> Leave some love!   
> Love,  
> LadyVader23


	6. The Cost of the Dark Side

It was a miracle he’d been able to sleep, but he’d managed it. Somehow. Fitfully. But still, it was better than insomnia.

When he woke, blinking, he still felt as though he’d been plowed into by an out of control speeder, and it took far longer than he would have liked for his still reeling brain to catch up with the images he was seeing. His gaze roamed over the familiar space. 

He was in his allocated private quarters, the room’s gray walls standardly bare and monotonous. So annoyingly similar to the Jedi's personal quarters in the Temple. His lightsaber rested on the nightstand beside his double bed, the wider berth and his own private fresher being the only real luxuries he had for his rank of general.

Well, that and the stunningly beautiful visitor that had come to his ship at his urgent request. He glanced beside him.

Lying there next to him was his beloved wife. Wide awake. Staring silently up at the ceiling, her hand rubbing absently over the tiny bump he could now notice with her tunic clinging to the skin of her belly. 

“Padme?” He asked, his arm automatically moving to encircle her waist and pull her closer. Her body didn’t melt into his like it usually did, though. She was stiff as a board. “What’s wrong, Angel?” Then he remembered where she’d been and  _ why _ he’d finally gone to sleep, and he propped himself up on his elbow, leaning over her with a look of wary concern. “What did he say? Did you get him to talk? Did you get that girl to calm down any?” 

Padme blinked, meeting his eyes solemnly. “Yes and no.” 

He noticed her lips were trembling.

Next, he realized that there were reddened tracks of dried tears on her face. She had cried silent rivers of anguish while he slept, and that knowledge turned his eagerness into outright fury. “ _ What happened?  _ Tell me. _ ”  _

Padme lifted a hand to her face, covering her eyes, drawing in deep breaths. “They’re twins.” Her voice came out in a hushed whisper.

He frowned. “What?” 

She dropped her hand, her eyes glassy with repressed tears. “They’re twins.” She repeated, her voice stronger but still hoarse from her crying jag. “Luke and Leia. That’s the girl’s name.  _ Our daughter's name. _ ” She turned her head to look at him, her chestnut curls splayed across the pillow. “Ani. I’m pregnant...with twins. With Luke and Leia.” 

The hum of the ship's engines disappeared, the sound of the air processing unit faded into the background, followed by a silence so deep, his ears rang loudly as he just blinked at his wife. For a long moment, he said nothing, as his vocal chords seemed to freeze.

Twins. 

He wanted to say that was impossible. What were the chances of twins? Fraternal twins at that! Especially on their first pregnancy? But her words rang with the truth, the Force swelling in confirmation. 

Twins. Luke. Leia. 

He shouldn’t have been surprised by this. In fact, he found he really  _ wasn't _ , now that he thought about it. Leia looked  _ exactly _ like her mother. But no question she had  _ his _ temper, his stubbornness. In spades.

_ Twins _ . By the Force…

“They didn’t know.” Padme said softly. “I couldn’t get too close to them without them getting ill. Apparently, me carrying them in my womb is a big enough of a time anomaly to make them sick. That’s how we figured it out.” 

They didn’t know. How could they have  _ not _ known? Did his future self know? Did the future version of Padme know…? 

“What happened?” His voice sounded raspy, as if he’d been screaming for hours. He sure felt that way at any rate.

“I...the revelation was such a shock, I couldn’t bring myself to push them for more answers. I needed to leave the room, to take a moment to breathe. To think.” 

He silently cursed in Huttese. The future was far messier than he could have  _ ever _ imagined. What the  _ hell _ happened? If he’d done such terrible things to Luke…

What then, had he done to Leia?

The thought had him throwing back the covers and standing up without even realizing what he was doing. Behind him, Padme called his name, but he ignored her as he stormed, bare footed, out of the room and into a busy hallway full of clone troopers. 

He ignored them all, striding with determination and single minded purpose towards the medbay. 

She hated him for a reason. His own daughter. He could  _ feel _ it every time she looked at him. It burned in her eyes and radiated from the depths of her  _ soul.  _ He could hear it in her voice as she ordered him to leave. He must've done something truly terrible to her, and he needed to know what that was.

He had to stop it. He had to change it. He  _ would  _ change it. No way was he going to fail on  _ this _ mission. This one was personal.

They  _ were _ going to tell him what they knew. 

Unerringly, as if on autopilot, his feet marched onward, carrying him toward his children. Before he knew it, he was at the medbay doors. A med droid moved to intercept him, but he gave it a quick Force shove away. “Stay out.” He snarled, as he used the Force to open the medbay doors. 

“I thought I told  you to stay out!” 

The girl, his  _ daughter _ , was right there to oppose him when he stepped in, the doors immediately whisking shut behind him. She stood there, undaunted, hands on her hips, with a glare that might have made lesser men back out of the room. But not him. He was the one who’d  _ perfected _ that look, used it to his own advantage. She got that look from  _ him _ ...and he was immune to it.

Leia. His daughter.  _ Force! _

He barely noticed that Luke was halfway out of bed, his Force signature radiating with worry and protectiveness for his twin sister. The sister he didn’t even know existed until shortly before Anakin knew he had a daughter as well.

“What did I do to you?” He demanded, not mincing words.

Leia snorted and rolled her eyes. “As if I’d tell  _ you _ .” 

But now that he knew who she was, his bond with her was growing, especially with her so close to him. And, Anakin realized...she was highly Force sensitive, too!  Just like her brother, only she was  _ shielding _ herself to mute her Force signature _ , and doing so  _ like an expertly trained Jedi Master! 

_ Shit!! _

He was only momentarily surprised; however, because he was so focused on delving into the roots of her feelings toward him, that he didn't have the time or the patience to figure out  _ how  _ she'd learned to do this. As he probed her with the Force, he could feel the anger, the hatred, the bitterness, all aimed directly at him. 

As well as her deep and intense fear. Of him.

He knew those feelings all too well. It didn’t make it any easier, didn’t ease his own anger that instantly flared up. 

“You’re  _ going _ to tell me, and you’re going to tell me  _ now! _ ” He advanced on her, using his dominate masculine size to intimidate. Force, she was so small,  _ so _ like Padme…

And just like her mother, she held her ground, refusing to budge, forcing him to halt his advance when they were practically toe to toe. 

“Or what?” She asked sarcastically. She didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t need to. She sounded just as intimidating. “You’ll  _ ground me?  _ I don't think so. _ ”  _

His hands clenched into fists, and he ground his teeth together as he bent his head down to her level and growled deep in his throat. “What the  _ hell _ is wrong with you?!” He demanded, jabbing his index finger into her shoulder with each word. He felt a spark of fear from his son at his action. Maybe it was a gesture Luke recognized, a gesture he hated. He dropped his hand. “I am  _ trying _ to save the galaxy! I am  _ trying _ to save our family! I’m trying to save you _ and _ Luke, damn it!” 

“ _Save_ _me?!”_ Leia scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Damn, that was one of his gestures, too. His daughter was more like him than he realized. “I don’t _need_ your saving, nor do I want it. The _only_ thing I want from you is for you to return us home. We’ll take care of the rest, thanks.” 

“Leia…” Luke began cautiously. He was fully out of bed now, carefully making his way over to them, eyeing him like one wrong move would send him into a frenzy. 

He might not be wrong. 

“How in the  _ hell _ did you two not know you were siblings, twins at that?!” He demanded again, but this time he whirled on Luke. The boy would answer. His daughter had an iron clad will that he didn’t have the time to move or break. But his son was a different story.

“Don’t answer that!” Leia snapped. 

Luke had frozen in place, staring wide-eyed at the both of them. “I…” 

“How did  _ I  _ not know of your existence? How did  _ Padme _ not know where you two were? Did she know?” A horrible thought occurred to him then, one he immediately backed away from thinking, even as he voiced it. “Does she...leave me? Is that it? Do we get divorced?” 

“I have no idea!” Luke sputtered frantically, waving his arms helplessly about.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re  _ terrible  _ at keeping secrets?!” Leia growled at her brother as she again put herself between him and Luke. 

He gritted his teeth. He was getting really tired of her inserting herself in…

“If you don’t know what happened to your mother, then what…?” He broke off, realization suddenly kicking the air out of his lungs, rendering him speechless.

No. 

_Oh_ _Force_. 

_ No! _

If they didn’t know what happened to Padme...if they didn’t know they were even related...if he didn’t know they were alive…Then that had to mean...

In the future, he  _ was _ a Sith Lord. 

And...in the future, Padme was dead. 

Which meant, their children were raised apart from each other, in hiding...from  _ him. _

_ Fuck! _

The Force confirmed it, even as the dreaded realization dawned on him as clear as a Kyber crystal. 

Everything swayed. His stomach clenched. A band-like sensation constricted around his chest, and it became hard to breathe. His vision swam before him, and he felt dizzy and nauseous.

Padme. His beloved Angel. Dead. 

_ No! _

“How?” The word was strangled, forced out through numb lips. 

Behind him, the blast doors swooshed open, and he sensed her _._ Padme. His pregnant wife. His soon to be dead wife, along with Obi-Wan hot on her heels. 

“ _ How?!”  _

The floor was falling out from under him. He was falling. He was…

He was going to strangle something. 

“Anakin!” Padme’s arms were around him before he could, but it wasn’t enough to snap him out of it. Leia and Luke instantly backed away from her, their skin turning a bit green.

He ripped away from her, stumbling back, away from all of them. He turned accusing eyes on his wife. “Did you know?” 

Padme stood, wide-eyed, frozen. Horror and worry flitted across her face in equal measure.

“ _ Did you know?!”  _ The anguished words tore out of him.

“Did she know what, Anakin?” Obi-Wan tried, putting himself between the highly upset Jedi and Padme. Anakin could sense his master’s growing unease...with him. With his rapidly spiraling, out of control emotions. 

“That she’s dead! In the future!” 

Obi-Wan’s lips thinned, his eyes narrowing slightly. No doubt, he was thinking back to their previous conversation just as he was, the words reverberating round and round in his head.

_ “If Padme’s life was in danger, would you betray me? Would you betray the Jedi Order? Would you betray the entire Republic, democracy, hell everything, in order to save her?”  _

_ Yes.  _

“Force...that's it. That’s how I fall.” 

He was numb and cold. So terribly cold. 

“You die. That’s h-how I fall…” He stretched out a trembling hand and pointed at his horrified and frightened wife.

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan began, attempting to sound reasonable, soothing, but Anakin was so far gone from reasonable, it wasn’t even funny. 

“That’s the  _ only _ thing that would make me fall, Obi-Wan.  _ The only thing!”  _

He was sure of it. He was so sure… 

It was just like his mother all over again. She was going to die, and he couldn’t stop it. The thought tumbled about in his mind, repeating the same phrase over and over again, like spikes hammering into his brain;  _ she’s gonna die, it’s all  _ your _ fault, she’s gonna die, it’s all  _ your _ fault, she’s gonna die, it’s all  _ your _ fault, she’s gonna die… _

He could feel the Force building in him, swelling, rising, begging to be unleashed in a tsunami of raging despair and fury upon the nearest person…

“Father.” 

The Force paused at the familial title, the name. A word spoken with far more calmness than what the speaker was currently feeling, even as he approached. 

Luke.

Slowly, Anakin met his son's eyes--eyes that matched his own. There was still so much fear in the boy, and yet, he approached anyway, slowly, cautiously, as though he were confronting a wounded animal. 

“Calm yourself. Mother is still here. Look.” Luke soothed, splaying his hands in a calming gesture, gesturing toward Padme, who still stood frozen by the blast doors. “She’s okay. You still have time to figure out how to help her.” 

“And what if it’s not an external threat?!” 

“It's okay, Father. She’s healthy. Her babies are healthy. You  _ know _ that.” 

True. He did know that. He could sense it. 

“Even if something happens, say in childbirth, there’s plenty of advanced medicine in this day and age to help her survive. She’ll be alright, but  _ not _ if you’re panicking like this.” 

Luke was right. But… He looked over to Padme, who stood in the same spot staring at him with such worry that it almost broke his heart. To be the cause of that worry...and yet… 

“I can’t lose you, Angel.” His voice broke. “Not like I did my mother. Not like her.” 

The remembered feel of his mother going limp in his arms, feeling her life presence disappear into the Force…He couldn’t go through that again. Not with Padme. Not with the love of his life, the mother of his children.

“We have time, Anakin. We can catch whatever causes this early.” Obi-Wan tried again.

“You don’t know we didn’t catch it in  _ their _ timeline!” 

“I know. I’m just saying you... _ we... _ have time.” Obi-Wan tried again. 

“And fear is a path to the Dark Side, Father.” Luke added softly. Behind him, Leia sighed, shaking her head and sitting down on the empty bed. Clearly giving up hope that her brother wouldn’t say whatever he wanted and change the future. 

What was truly terrible was that even as Luke spoke, Anakin wondered if maybe the Dark Side  _ could _ be used to help her. If it could…

_ No! _

The rational side of his brain kicked in, urging him to think clearly, without emotions clouding the issues. Taking a deep breath in, he thought deeply about this. The Dark Side. Using the Dark Side. Would it work? 

Would it save his wife?

But...he’d turned to the Dark Side before. In the future. And that had wrecked more lives, caused more harm than good. His gaze moved to his son’s mechanical hand. He probed Leia’s presence again and only found deep bitterness and hatred. He remembered Obi-Wan's words once more. _ “If Padme’s life was in danger, would you betray me? Would you betray the Jedi Order? Would you betray the entire Republic, democracy, hell everything, in order to save her?”  _

Turning to the Dark Side was very costly indeed.

Was this the price he was willing to pay? Losing everyone and everything he loved and held dear?

“I need...I need to think.” He was already moving toward the medbay doors. 

“Ani…” Padme began, reaching out for him when he came close enough, but he shook his head and immediately drew away from her touch. 

“No. I need time to think.” He repeated firmly again. Then, before any of them could stop him, he left the room, breaking out into a dead run, heading straight for the lift to the hangar and some much needed solace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. By this point, Anakin's already strangled some peeps. And it's still relatively close to the original timeline of him falling to the Dark Side, so naturally, the stress of all this and finding out about his wife's future death is sort of the perfect storm for him. This family...   
> Anyhow, leave some love!   
> Love,  
> LadyVader23


	7. Why?

“What happened to his mother?” Luke asked, a perplexed look on his face, after his sister had forced him back into bed. Leia gritted her teeth as she sat down beside him, well away from her biological mother who sat in a chair next to the blast doors to avoid making her future offspring sick again. 

She understood why Luke was so interested in his parents' past. He always had been, especially considering where he'd been raised. But she’d had a happy childhood. Very happy. She didn’t need to know any further details about her birth parents. As far as she was concerned, she knew  _ more _ than enough as it was. Especially since one of them was Darth Kriffing Vader. Who  _ cared _ where he came from or what he'd been like growing up? None of that changed who and what he'd become - or the atrocities he'd committed. 

Not in  _ her  _ eyes anyway.

Yes, she'd known from a very young age she was adopted, and yeah, sure, there had been a period in her life as a small child when she’d wanted to know about her birth parents. But, her interest had only lasted for like two weeks. Bail and Breha had subtly distracted her with something she couldn’t even remember anymore. After that, it hadn't seemed important. After all, she’d lived life as a princess on the most beautiful planet in the galaxy, loved and cared for by the most wonderful parents any child could've asked for. Why bother wishing for something that didn't really matter when she'd had everything she would've wanted on Alderaan? 

Besides, curiosity killed the Loth Cat. And she had no intention of winding up dead from this little  _ mis _ adventure. Ignorance was bliss to  _ her _ way of thinking.

She considered leaving the medbay, but Obi-Wan had run off to go after Anakin, and if she left the chances of running into one, or worse,  _ both _ of them, were higher.  _ Not risking that _ , she thought. Then she thought about making an excuse that Luke would somehow change the future again, but learning about their parents' past wouldn’t change anything except some of their  _ own _ decisions. 

Not that Luke seemed to be able to contain himself anyway. 

So, she said nothing and simply listened. 

Padme, perhaps one of the  _ only _ redeeming things about finding out who her real parents were, focused her attention on Luke and shook her head. “Your father would never tell you this, but you deserve to know, I suppose. Both of you do.” 

“Know what?” Luke asked. Leia didn’t miss the eagerness he was trying, and failing, to hide. She had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

“Your father was born a slave.” 

Leia tensed in surprise. That...wasn’t what she was expecting to hear. 

Darth Vader, a slave? 

Then again, now that she thought about it, he still sort of  _ was _ a slave to the Emperor. But...still. Not exactly what she thought she’d hear about the most feared man in the galaxy. It somehow made him seem...almost human. 

Mentally, she shook herself. Nope.  _ Not _ going there.

“He was found by the Jedi on Tatooine when he was nine. Realizing his incredible Force potential, they only bothered to liberate him from slavery, but they left his mother behind.” 

“Shmi Skywalker.” Luke said softly, realization suddenly dawning on his face. When Leia turned and looked at him questioningly, a frown on her face, he slightly shook his head to indicate that he’d tell her when they were alone. 

Good. Maybe he was learning. Maybe. 

“Yes.” If Padme noticed, she didn’t comment. Leia hoped the woman didn’t piece more information together than she already had. She seemed far too observant and too quick to pick up on what was happening. Which wasn’t a huge surprise; the woman had been greatly admired, adored even, in the Senate and on her home planet Naboo for a reason. 

“She was purchased shortly afterwards by Cliegg Lars, a moisture farmer, after they’d fallen in love. Cliegg set her free so that he could marry her. Ten years later, Anakin...well, he began having nightmares, Force visions actually, about her being in agonizing pain, calling for him. The Jedi Code forbids emotional attachments of  _ any _ kind, so he couldn’t leave to go help her until it was too late. He discovered she was taken by Tusken Raiders and tortured right up until he found her. She died in his arms.” 

Leia grimaced in sympathy. She couldn't help it, despite not wanting to hear any such details. And, she didn’t need to be Luke's sister to know that the story made him feel  _ more _ sympathetic to his (she didn’t want to think of him as  _ hers _ ) father, not less. That’s just who Luke was. If she didn’t know better, she'd think Padme had figured that out and was therefore counting on him to lower his defenses and spill what he knew. 

But not Leia.  _ She _ wasn't buying it.

In fact, hearing all this just made her hate him even more. If he understood what it meant to watch the ones he loved die, then why would he destroy families across the galaxy by killing people needlessly?  Why be complicit in the Death Star, the very instrument that would kill her adopted family and everyone on her planet? An  _ entire planet of people?  _ Completely  _ innocent  _ people _. _

To Leia, it made absolutely no sense and was entirely unconscionable.

“He’s still a murderer.” 

Both Luke and Padme stopped to look at her. Luke in utter surprise--honestly, she was surprised she’d said it herself. It was meant to just be a private thought. Padme in trepidation. 

“He isn’t. He’s  _ not _ a Sith. Your father is a  _ good _ person.” Padme tried again earnestly.

Leia shook her head. “You don’t  _ know  _ that _.  _ A man like Darth Vader doesn’t just  _ happen _ overnight. You’re trying to tell me he hasn’t killed anyone he didn’t need to? Really? In this entire war? Somehow, I doubt that.”

Padme opened her mouth to object, then closed it. Evidently, she’d made a point. Funny how her mother didn’t seem eager to tell them about whatever he’d done during the war. Maybe even before it. Knowing Darth Vader, it was probably something terrible...no, barbaric and horrifying more likely.

“ _ Why?! _ Why are  _ you  _ married to him?! You were my hero! You’re a representation of all the good democracy can do for the galaxy!  _ Why did you marry him?!”  _

The words ripped out of her, uncensored and unstoppable. Immediately, she regretted the slip. She shouldn’t have asked. It was  _ stupid _ to ask. But the words were said, and there was no taking them back.

Padme sucked in a deep breath, likely to calm herself before she answered. When she did, she leveled her gaze on her daughter and spoke calmly and succinctly. 

“I married Anakin because at his very core, he’s a good man. He truly _is._ He’s the type of man to help others even when it’s inconvenient for him. He’s the kind of man who will risk his own life to pull a dangerous stunt to get food to a starving population. He ignores those who say he can’t and shows them that he can. He's intelligent; he built a working protocol droid from scrap parts when he was only nine. He's the absolute _best_ pilot this galaxy has probably _ever_ seen, and when he puts his mind to something, he achieves it. He’s kind and caring, not only to me, but to my family and _all_ those who are in need of a kind word or deed. He serves the Republic, the Jedi, the Senate, _everyone_ in this galaxy wholeheartedly, selflessly, and with great compassion. He has fought bravely across this galaxy to save lives and to try to end this war." 

Her voice had grown louder the longer she'd spoken. She sounded like the politician she was, making an argument for her husband as though he were on trial and she was the only one who could keep him from the gallows. "I love him because, despite his flaws, and yes, he  _ is  _ flawed,  I don't deny that...he tries to be a better man each and every day. I love his idealism, even when logic is clearly the better option. He’s a good man, a good husband..." She paused, then grinned. "And, if I’m honest, he’s also incredibly handsome.” 

Luke made a face. “I could have done without that last detail…” he muttered, which caused Padme to laugh. 

“I’m glad to know that even after everything, you still react like any other child does to comments like that.” She said, smiling at him...smiling at them both. “Though you should take it as a good thing. You look exactly like him, though you have my nose. You both are beautiful, and I can’t wait to meet the both of you as babies.” She touched her abdomen softly. 

She seemed like she truly believed what she’d said about him. And, from her adopted father’s stories, Padme Amidala was not a poor judge of character in the slightest. So, maybe there was truth to what she said, at this current moment. 

But… 

“I’m glad to know that at some point he was a good man.” Leia said, and she was surprised to find that she really meant it. “But I still see him as Darth Vader. I can’t help it. What he’s done...it’s hard to see anything but that.” She looked to Luke. “You understand. You said the same thing just yesterday.” 

But that was before Padme had showed up. That was before Padme had shed humanity onto the man who had hunted them across the galaxy for years. And she could see that conflict in Luke’s eyes, in the way that his lips thinned and he looked from her to their mother. “I understand.” He finally said, then hesitated. “But...tell me more. I want to know everything you’ll tell me about my father.” 

Because of course Luke would want to know more. He’d always wanted to know more, but this was more than that. 

If she had a choice, she’d kill Darth Vader. If Luke had a choice...he’d save him. 

Anyone else, she would have scoffed at them. Not Luke. In fact, she was pleased to see that despite Bespin, despite his injury traumatically fresh...he was still himself. Vader hadn’t taken that from him. He never would. 

She wished she could be that way. 

Padme’s expression softened. “Where to begin?” She said, leaning back in her seat. “Well. I guess I should start with when we met…” 

* * *

Obi-Wan found Anakin tinkering with his light interceptor in the hangar, his clone troopers instinctively giving him a wide berth as though they sensed the mood of their general and knew getting involved would only spell trouble. Fortunately for Obi-Wan, Anakin didn’t particularly wish to lash out at his former master, especially when he sensed nothing but good intentions in his approaching him. 

“Anakin.” Obi-Wan greeted cautiously. “Are you alright?” 

No. Of course he wasn't alright, damn it. He rolled his eyes, not looking at the older Jedi. Sometimes Obi-Wan could  _ really _ be obtuse. What didn't he understand about this?! A lot obviously. 

Anakin's beloved wife was  _ dead _ in the future. 

Sure, everyone died at some point. He wasn’t stupid. But he’d expected that to happen years in the future, many years, when they’d grown old and gray and lived a full life together, raising their family. But to die so young? Leaving him as a single father of infant twins?! That was just too much info for him to handle.

And he'd needed time and space to process. Most individuals would under such circumstances.

But he didn’t say any of that. Instead, he replied without looking up, “I’m fine.” 

Obi-Wan wasn’t fooled. He knew Anakin well. He folded his arms over his chest and watched his former padawan tinkering. “You’ve always had a habit of fixing something when you’re upset.” He remarked, leaning against the ship's fuselage and crossing his booted feet at the ankles. His pose appeared almost relaxed...except for the narrowed gaze and concerned expression he leveled on the younger man. “I’m also pretty sure your ship is already operating at peak performance and requires no additional maintenance at this time.” 

“No, there’s still some modifications I can implement to make it better.” The response was automatic...and true. But not the point Obi-Wan was trying to make. 

And Obi-wan wasn’t buying it. “ _ Talk _ to me, Anakin. I can help you.” 

His hand tightened around the hydrospanner, mirrored by the tightening of his lips. When he spoke, it was through gritted teeth. “You can’t stop people from dying any more than I can.” The words were bitter in his mouth. “Unless there’s some secret power you Jedi Masters are hiding, which wouldn't surprise me.” 

He couldn’t help how angry he sounded, his words dripping with bitterness. He wasn’t a Jedi Master. Of  _ course _ they weren’t going to tell him everything he needed or wanted to know. But he  _ should _ have been a Master. He was strong in the Force, stronger than any other Jedi  _ ever.  _ Even more so than Master Yoda. He’d done so much for the Jedi, for the Republic and the galaxy. He was a Republican  _ General,  _ leader of the entire 501st battalion, and yet the Jedi Council persisted in treating him like an uneasy ally. Not one of their own. 

“I can guarantee you, we don’t know that power, Anakin. Truthfully, I don’t even think it exists.” Obi-Wan rubbed a hand over his haggard face. “Death is a natural part of life…” 

“That’s not good enough!” The words exploded from the depths of his soul as Anakin threw the hydrospanner and it clattered across the deck, the sound echoing throughout the hangar bay. From across the way, the clones glanced nervously over at him and then turned and scurried off. “ _ Everyone _ I love, Obi-Wan!!!  _ Everyone.  _ Dead! Before their time! Am I a curse?! Is that  _ why _ the Jedi are so anti-attachment?!” 

Obi-Wan didn’t seemed bothered by the display of anger, or at least he wasn’t showing it. His face was a mask of calm solemnity. “You are  _ not _ a curse. If you were,  _ I _ would have been dead a long time ago.” 

“I’m not joking.” 

“Neither am I.” He assured him. “I was your master for many years, Anakin. If you were a curse, I would have been the first logical person to be hit with it. Don't you think?" 

His former master had a good point.

“Maybe. Or maybe the Force has something special in mind, since apparently in the future  _ you _ tell my son that  _ I  _ betrayed and murdered myself.” He snorted and shook his head, looking back at his ship.

Obi-Wan breathed out a sigh. “Anakin. I need you to set your feelings aside and think  _ logically _ for a few minutes. If I didn’t know about you and Padme and you thought she was going to die, what would you do?” 

“You don’t know I didn’t tell you beforehand…” 

“No, we don’t. Now, answer the question.” 

Anakin scowled, but he stopped and thought about it. “...To be honest, I didn’t think you’d react to me being married to her as well as you are.” 

“I don’t know if I’m really reacting  _ well… _ ” 

“I was picturing far worse. Trust me on this.” 

“Alright...so would you have told me? Would you have come to me for help?” Anakin’s answer was silence. No, he wouldn’t have, and Obi-Wan knew it. The Jedi Master's tone was dry. “Okay. That answers that question. So, that means there’s a high chance my knowledge of the situation is different in this timeline compared to the twins'.” 

“But why would that make any difference? You’re not a doctor or a Healer. Your talents don’t lie in healing, Obi-wan.” 

“No, but I know other masters who  _ do _ specialize in it.” Again, Anakin was silent as he contemplated this. He...hadn’t thought about that before. His friend pushed on. “I could probably get Senator Amidala in to see the Jedi Healers under the guise of protecting her. She  _ is _ a vital part of the peace efforts and a good friend to the Jedi in the Senate, after all...but as those babies grow, undoubtedly so will their Force presence. There will be questions.” 

“So...you think I should tell the Council?” His stomach twisted into knots at the idea. “I thought you said you wouldn’t tell.” 

“I won’t. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t think the consequences will be worse if you  _ don’t _ tell them. At least if they know, regardless of the outcome, you and Padme can move on freely to do what you need to for your family’s safety.” 

He had a point...but he  _ loved _ being a Jedi. He loved serving and helping others. His talents and Force abilities were best utilized in the service of the Order. “They’ll kick me out. You know that.” 

Obi-Wan winced. Yes, it was a distinct possibility. “If it helps, I would fight for you.” 

Maybe that was something...but… “Mace and Yoda would never allow it.  _ Especially _ Mace. He's disliked me from the start, and trusts me the least out of everyone on the Council and in the entire Order, and  _ you _ know it.” He pointed a finger at him to emphasize his own point.

“That’s not…” Obi-Wan trailed off at the skeptical look Anakin threw at him then sighed heavily, giving a slight nod. “Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know, Anakin. But  _ nothing _ about this is an easy choice. I’ll support whatever you need to do. But I  _ do _ think it’s the best option to make sure Padme and those babies get what they need. If you turn to the Dark Side because she died, then why not do what you need to do now to save her  _ before _ that even happens?” 

It made sense. He didn’t want it to, but it did. “I’ll think about it.” Because at the moment, they were nowhere near Coruscant. He’d make a decision when they got back home. He just hoped it was the right decision. 

For all of them, the galaxy included.

Obi-Wan didn’t seem pleased with the answer, but he made no further argument. Instead, he changed topics. “Now. We need to figure out  _ how _ to put your grown children back in their timeline.” 

Anakin scowled. “They still haven’t told me what I need to know.” 

“I don’t think your daughter will tell you…” 

“No. But my son will.” 

“Not intentionally.” Obi-Wan sighed. “Look. We should at least go back down planet side and find out how to put them back, so that  _ when _ we are ready for them to go back, we can do so expeditiously. If anyone else finds out we had brought your very powerful, rather  _ untrained _ children here from the future…” He trailed off. 

He didn’t need to finish his comment. Anakin was  _ well _ aware of the potential dangers in that scenario. They both were.

It would be a disaster of unthinkable proportions. 

“Fine.” Anakin grumbled, acquiescing to the older Jedi's wisdom. “ _ But _ I’m not letting them go just yet. Not until I get what I need to save the future.” 

“Agreed. But might I suggest...maybe put on some shoes first?" Obi-wan arched an eyebrow, his lips twisting, his tone wryly amused. "I would hate for you to go lame because you forgot to put them on...again.” 

“Hey, that was  _ one time…”  _

“And you stepped on a poisonous urchin that  _ one time _ .” He smirked in amusement, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Ugh. Yes,  _ Master.”  _ Anakin rolled his eyes and stalked to the nearest supply room for an extra pair of boots he kept in his locker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd another chapter up! I'll need to respond to previous chapter comments tomorrow; I gotta go to bed for a meeting in the morning.   
> Anyway. One of my goals for this story is to portray the characters as they would react given the circumstances. Yes, Anakin hasn't been Darth Vader yet, so he hasn't hurt his children technically, but to Luke and Leia, he has. Luke is...well, Luke. But Leia has every reason to be angry. She may recognize he was at some point a good man, but it's really hard to forgive when your father tortured you...annnnnd blew up your planet. Among other things. So, it will take longer for her to calm, but she will calm as much as she possibly could given her situation.   
> Leave some love!   
> Love,  
> LadyVader23


	8. The Way Home

Two days. Two whole days since his father found out about his mother’s future death and had a total meltdown. Two days since Anakin had run out of the medbay, Obi-Wan dashing off hot on his heels, both to go who knows where. Two days since Leia’s own outburst, and his mother’s firm unwavering declaration of the good man his...no,  _ their... _ father was. 

Two days.

And still, Anakin didn’t return, nor did Obi-Wan. 

Luke, by this point, was well enough - not to mention bored enough - to get up and wander around. He did so carefully, and never by himself, of course. Leia always accompanied him, always disapproving. She didn’t want to risk ruining the timeline more than they already had, and he had a habit of accidentally making it worse, he had to admit. Plus, Leia wasn’t too keen on running into their father, but Luke assured her repeatedly that he couldn’t sense the two Jedi anywhere on the ship. 

No. Not entirely true. They weren't on the _ship,_ but distantly, he could feel his father and Kenobi down on the planet below. Why, he could only guess. With Kenobi, he assumed it was because he'd shared a short but intense connection with the elder Jedi back in his own time. But his father? He wasn’t sure if it was because Anakin was simply a brilliant supernova in the Force, or if it was because of their biological relationship or possibly both, but whatever the case may be, he could still feel him. If he concentrated hard enough, he could sense his father’s increasingly frustrated mood. Not angry, thank the Force. Just frustrated. 

He did his best to ignore that. 

But he was curious about the old Republic Star Destroyer (new, by  _ this _ time’s standards), and since none of the clones exhibited anything but mild curiosity towards him and Leia...well, he wasn’t going to pass  this chance up to walk around and get a better look. 

Talk about studying history! From his perspective, this was like the ultimate opportunity to get an up close and personal look at how the Republic had done things. He’d studied Imperial Star Destroyer schematics in depth, and he’d gotten a brief chance to study the Harbringer when they’d stolen it. So, it was interesting to see some of the differences and, at the same time, chilling to see the echoes of the future Empire even in the time of the Republic. 

Often, Padme followed them, or they followed her...always at a safe distance, of course. She introduced Luke and Leia as being friends of hers from Naboo to any of the clones who asked, and that was usually enough to deter them from asking further questions. 

“Senator Amidala has a lot of sway and pull during this time period.” Leia quietly explained when he asked her about it. “She’s one of the  _ most _ influential senators. Even many Separatists respect her because of the peace efforts she’s made throughout the Clone Wars. So, it makes sense that if she says we’re good to be wandering around, most of these Clones will trust her.” 

Luke couldn't deny the swell of pride he felt internally at just  who his... _ their... _ mother was.

There was one notable exception, however. A clone who introduced himself as Captain Rex. After Padme introduced them, the clone narrowed his eyes at the odd physical distance between the twins and their mother (though he didn't know who they were to each other) and pressed further. “Where exactly on Naboo are you from?” 

Luke's mind blanked. He didn’t know  _ anything _ about Naboo other than it was the mid-rim world the Emperor (and now his mother) was from. But Leia merely smiled and smoothly said, “We’re from Theed, actually. We’re part of the Legislative Youth Program.” 

Luke carefully kept his expression neutral, even as he wondered what the hell that was supposed to be. Something senatorial, probably. 

Captain Rex raised a skeptical brow. “Aren’t you a little  _ old _ for that?” He asked Leia, who actually looked her age, unlike him. He looked much younger. 

A blessing and a curse. 

“They’re about to age out and are shadowing with me.” Padme explained calmly with a smile, her hands clasped behind her back, her stance natural and poised. “I remember when I was part of that program. I have many fond memories of it. It lead me to where I am today. So, I expect  _ great _ things from these two.” She glanced over to the twins, a brilliant smile in place.

At his mother's words, his interest peaked, but he refrained from asking. If he and Leia were shadowing her, the captain would probably expect him to know about his mother’s involvement in the Nubian program, as well as her storied and glorious political career. But Luke’s interest was momentarily forgotten when his mother waved a hand at the clone and added, “Captain Rex is General Skywalker’s senior captain in the 501st--his most trusted one at that.” 

Leia sighed even as Luke blinked at his mother, who smiled knowingly back. Information she obviously knew he’d be interested in. The fact that his mother seemed to already  _ know _ what would interest him was both odd and exhilarating at the same time. 

“How do you like serving under General Skywalker?” he asked immediately, ignoring the exasperation he sensed coming from his sister. 

Captain Rex frowned at the question, but still seemed to stand taller before answering. “It’s an honor to serve under the General. He’s the best there is in the Republic.” 

“Can you tell me about him?” The words were automatic and out before he or Leia could stop him, but Padme’s smile just widened further, as if she knew and even expected this to happen. 

Perhaps she wanted him to learn more about his father so that he’d reveal more about the future. 

“What exactly do you want to know about him?” Captain Rex asked cautiously, continuing to frown. 

Well, no way was Luke passing this up. Besides, Rex  _ had _ asked...

So, under the amused gaze of his mother and the irritated tolerance of his sister, Luke peppered the clone with questions, many spurred by his mother’s stories, Ben's stories, or the stories he’d heard from others in the Rebellion who’d known him or known of him in the days of the Republic. He never asked anything too specific or anything that would seem like more than the general curiosity of a distant admirer who just wanted to know more about the celebrated Jedi, so Rex seemed to relax the more it was obvious Luke had no nefarious motives at heart. 

And the information he’d received from Rex merely confirmed what Padme had said earlier. Anakin Skywalker, by all accounts, was a  _ good _ man. He was an admired and well respected general, who did things that Luke could see himself doing. He could even see a lot of Leia in these stories, but he wouldn’t ever voice that out loud, not if he wanted to avoid upsetting her further. He was a very impressive Jedi, too, or at least by Rex’s accounts he was. Some of the actions Rex proudly described sounded like something Master Yoda would highly disapprove of, so perhaps the Jedi felt differently about his father’s exploits. 

One thing was clear, though: Anakin Skywalker was almost a  _ totally _ different man than Darth Vader was. And if Anakin turned to the Dark Side because of his wife’s death…Well, he didn’t agree with his methods by any means, but it clearly showed that he loved his wife dearly and that he didn’t turn because he wanted to become an evil monster who got his kicks from obeying an even sicker psycho in the form of the Emperor. It...was a small comfort, but one he hadn’t had since finding out the truth. 

More than that, it showed Ben hadn’t completely lied to him either, which was a relief. And, much to Luke's delight, Rex didn’t just tell him stories only about his father, but also about Obi-Wan's prolific exploits across the galaxy as well. And, it was more than evident the two Jedi were exceptionally close, exceptionally talented, and exceptionally dedicated to the Republic. 

He needed to rethink some things here. 

Perhaps Ben hadn’t told him not only to spare him the pain of the truth, but because he too, struggled to come to terms with what happened to his best friend? 

That actually made sense. 

Perhaps he’d voiced the truth he’d made  _ himself _ believe in order to cope with what had happened? 

That was definitely a plausible conclusion as well.

If he was honest with himself, based on everything he'd seen, heard, and even felt through the Force, it  _ did _ seem that Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were two separate and distinct people. 

And yet _...something _ about that didn’t quite ring true. At the end of the day, viewing Vader and Anakin as two separate people seemed wrong somehow. After all, they shared the same blood, the same DNA. The same power. The same family. They reacted to things differently, true...but considering everything, there were moments he thought he could sense an echo of his father’s future self in his younger version. Like when he’d had his meltdown over his wife. That panic. That conflict. That terror and blistering fury and anger for what was to happen to his wife...

Yeah, that was familiar across the span of time.

No. Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were most definitely the same person. 

So...what did that mean? To the man in question? To his wife? To the galaxy and the Jedi? 

To  _ them?? _

It was this thought Luke was still contemplating when he suddenly felt Anakin and Obi-Wan return to the ship during a brunch they were sharing with their mother. 

“This feels weird,” Leia was saying to the room at large, frowning down at the sparse military issued food on the table. Padme sat at the complete other end of the dining table from them, eyeing the empty space between them sadly, longingly. “Brunch with my biological mother...with  _ you,  _ of all people, should feel more...intimate than... _ this. _ ” She waved a hand in annoyance at the meager rations placed before them as well as the necessary distance between them.

“Well, there were bound to be unintended consequences to time travel,” Padme replied morosely, her lips twisting into a frown. “I just hope that if I do die, I at least get to hold each of you before...well, you know.” 

Both Luke and Leia cringed at that. If she’d held them, they didn’t remember it, of course. “Well...if it helps at all, Father and Ben have just returned.” Luke tried to infuse a little optimism into the conversation, and his sister instantly made a gagging noise. He didn’t blame her, of course, but he hated seeing their mother look so sad and even a little hurt at such a reaction; if there was one thing he'd learned over the last few days, it was that their mother genuinely  _ loved _ Vad...Er, that is,  _ Anakin _ . 

Sure enough, Padme’s expression brightened at the return of her husband, and she sat up a little straighter. “That’s great news! Hopefully, they’ll have learned more about your...  _ situation _ .” 

For once, Leia said nothing about being eager to go home; though, he knew she still felt that way. But this time, there was also a twinge of regret woven in with that...regret for leaving their mother without being able to so much as shake her hand, let alone hug her. He found he felt the same way...but to his utter surprise, that sentiment, at least in his case, also applied to their father. Complicated though his feelings for him still were...he’d have liked to have more time to decide what he wanted to do with the knowledge of who his father had been...and therefore who  _ he  _ was. 

And yet...hadn’t the Force already given him all the information he needed? Sure, there was plenty he still didn’t know, and the thought of actually seeing his father again made his stomach a tad bit queasy, and he couldn't help the involuntary flexing of his new prosthetic fingers at the very idea...

But he’d also learned far more about Anakin Skywalker in a few days than he’d learned in his entire life. He  _ was  _ the hero he’d always dreamed of. And yet, paradoxically...he was  _ also _ the villain he’d always detested and hated. 

How to reconcile…

As though summoned by his silent musings, the room's doors swept open and in walked Anakin and Ben; however, before either Luke or Padme could speak, his twin had put their collective question to voice, albeit rather  _ rudely _ .

“Well?” Leia demanded hotly, “Did you figure out how to send us home?!” 

“Nice to see you too, Daughter,” Anakin said dryly, his lips twisting and brows arching almost to his hairline.

“And  _ don’t  _ call me your daughter,” Leia sneered disdainfully.

Anakin sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation, but he didn’t argue with her. Either he was tired of arguing with her or he felt weird about calling someone almost his own age his daughter. Luke didn’t know which it was, but he watched their father take a seat next to their mother. Unconsciously, he reached out and took her hand, lacing their fingers together and gently squeezed, even as he tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling, his eyes narrowed. 

“ _ Well _ ...We looked. And looked, and looked. Either there’s no obvious way to send you back...or we don’t know where the hell to look for the answer. Which means that, for the moment, you're stuck here.” 

Luke winced at the truth he felt in that statement, throwing Leia an alarmed glance. He knew without a doubt his twin wouldn't accept that answer. “That’s not possible!  _ You _ got us here, so there’s  _ got _ to be a way to send us back…” Leia began, but Anakin was already shaking his head no.

“We've  _ looked!  _ If you don’t believe  _ me _ , ask Obi-Wan. He'll tell you.” He motioned to Ben with a flick of his wrist, who had taken up a spot at the table across from the twins with a solemn look on his face but was nodding his head in acknowledgement of the younger Jedi's words. 

“Unfortunately, Anakin’s right. We found no solution to this little... _ problem _ while on planet.” 

Luke winced as he felt his sister's anger and frustration bubble ever closer to the surface.

Leia scowled. “Are you lying, _Ben?_ How do I know we can trust you? After all, you lied to Luke before about _him_ ," she motioned to Anakin with a jerk of her head, before practically snarling her next comment at the Jedi Master, "What's to stop you from lying about him now?"

Ben opened his mouth, probably to remind Leia he hadn’t exactly done any of that yet, but Luke hurried to interrupt before his sister exploded.

“Because I can sense he’s telling the truth. They  _ both _ are, Leia. Neither of them are lying.” 

Despite the loud snort of irritation his sister emitted as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, Luke resolutely met Ben’s surprised gaze and tentatively offered a small smile. A simple gesture, but Ben seemed to understand the meaning behind it. And appreciated it. 

Ben silently nodded at him, and Luke gave him another small smile in return.

Forgiveness. Not for him specifically in this time, because he hadn’t yet lied to him about his parentage, but for his future self's actions. Knowing what they do now...maybe Ben wouldn’t lie to him in the future. Even better, maybe he wouldn’t  _ need _ to. Either way, Luke decided to be at peace with it. So what if their unexpected arrival in this time period had altered the time-space continuum? If it ended up saving lives across the galaxy... _ especially  _ those of the people in this room, then from Luke's perspective, this was a good development. Great even.

And he, for one, was just fine with that.

Even if it was doubtful his twin would share that sentiment.

But regardless she seemed to accept his explanation. “So, that’s it? We’re stuck here? With no way back home? That's just _perfect!_ ” 

“I...have a thought.” Ben said carefully while rubbing his beard, his expression contemplative, as though aware one wrong word would cause Leia to turn her wrath on him. When she turned and looked at him, arching her brows in a silent bid for him to go on, he continued. “What were your  _ exact _ words in your wish, Anakin?” He turned to look at his friend and his wife.

Anakin rubbed a tired hand over his haggard face. “I said,  _ "I wish for something to help us end the war.” _

“And what was the spell?” 

“It was just to grant any one wish. It didn’t say anything else.” 

Ben continued to stroke his beard thoughtfully. “I have a theory.” 

“We’re waiting.” Leia drawled, but Ben ignored her tone, instead glancing back and forth between the twins with a very serious expression.

“I think you two have to help us end this war.”

There was a charged silence...then Leia started to laugh. Slowly at first, until she was laughing hysterically. “I t-think I’ve m-made my opinion on  _ that  _ p-pretty kriffing c-clear.” 

A loud growl of frustration rent the air, bringing an instant halt to Leia's laughter...and causing all eyes to fall on Anakin.

“Honestly, you’ve already told me plenty, you might as well just finish it!” Anakin roared, beyond annoyed at his daughter's obstinacy. “ _ Why _ are you like this?! What the  _ hell _ did I do to you to warrant this kind of reaction from you?!"

Leia leveled a hard stare at him, her look unwavering. “You gave me plenty of reasons.” She said it so quietly, so coldly...that Anakin dropped the subject, swallowing hard at the frigid glare in Leia's brown eyes.

And yet… 

“Tell me exactly what you mean, Ben.” Luke prompted. 

Obi-Wan frowned at the nickname, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he explained. “There are two potential options. One, you just need to tell us what we need to know to end the war.” 

“And if that doesn’t work?” Luke asked.

“Well...there’s option two. If that doesn’t work, then you have to help us end it by joining us. However, I doubt this is the case, since as talented as I’m sure you two are, you both aren’t trained in the Force anywhere  _ near _ close enough to make much more of an impact. No. I think the Force brought you here strictly to impart knowledge, not actively participate in the fighting...at least, I’m pretty sure that’s the case.” 

Silence descended on the room as his words were absorbed and considered before Leia took up her role of naysayer once again.

“And what if we did that and things  _ still _ happen the way they happen in the future, if nothing from this point forward is changed?” Leia demanded angrily. “Then  _ he'll  _ know where to find my brother and I," she paused to jab a finger at Anakin, "Not to mention, I had a  _ very _ happy life with my adoptive family. They were  _ good people.  _ They  _ loved _ me, and I  _ loved _ them. On the other hand, what if it  _ does _ work? Then what happens to  _ this _ version of us?” She gestured to herself and Luke. “Do we just disappear? Cease to exist? Go back and live in some alternate dimension? What about Han, and Chewie, and…” 

She was escalating, her voice steadily rising, and though she sounded angry and by all appearances seemed that way...Luke could sense her utter fear at each and every scenario outlined. And though he could sense his father’s frustration and his mother’s worry...Luke actually understood where his twin was coming from.

Leia was rational. If she could see it, touch it, study it, she accepted it. Good or bad. It was part of what made her such an effective leader. Luke had a suspicion that if he hadn’t proved his abilities in the Force, she probably would have smiled, nodded, and supported him while quietly wondering how he could believe in it. In fact, he could still remember the look of surprise she’d had the first time he’d shakily levitated a wrench into his hand while working on his X-wing. 

And this...this wasn’t rational. None of this was. Not by any stretch of imagination.

But him? Quite unlike his sister, he was a dreamer. He always had been. He’d dreamed of adventures with his father. He’d dreamed of becoming a Jedi. Bespin had shattered that dream...and now, now he dreamed of a better galaxy. One that never knew the touch of the Empire. 

And maybe, just maybe, Ben had a valid point here and they  _ could _ stop it...if they could trust their father enough to make the right decision. 

“Leia.” He said, calmly, leaning over to place his hand gently on her forearm. “Can I talk to you? Alone?” 

She turned to him, their eyes meeting, and her expression fell. Defeated. She  _ knew _ what he was going to say without him having to say it, and yet, she nodded anyway. Wordlessly, they stood and stepped over to a far corner of the room, just out of earshot of the three people still sitting silently at the table.

He leaned close to her, whispering. “I think we have to tell them.” 

She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath. “Why did I  _ know _ you were going to say that?” 

“Because you know me so well?” He offered her a small, shaky smile. 

“Because you’re  _ such _ an optimist.” She huffed. “How are you okay with this? After everything we've been through? After everything we've suffered? What if we tell him and the Republic  _ still _ falls? Then we could potentially be his slaves or prisoners, whatever, and our lives could be  _ so _ much worse! The  _ galaxy  _ could be so much worse!"

“And what about the other side of the credit, huh? What if there’s a chance that we could actually  _ save _ millions of lives instead? If there’s a chance we could save Alderaan?” He paused. “If there’s a chance we could save my aunt and uncle? And your parents...by helping to prevent the Empire from ever even forming? Isn't it worth the chance for  _ that _ ?"

She opened her mouth...and closed it. She had to admit...Luke had a point. Tears sprang to her eyes. “And if...if this version of us doesn’t exist anymore?” Her voice trembled. “If we...if we forget?” 

He gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “At least we’ll be together, Leia...We're twins after all. Besides, would forgetting all the trauma, the terror, the horrors we've seen really be such a bad thing?” 

A single tear slid down her cheek. “Oh, Luke.” She whispered, leaning her forehead against his. “ _ Luke.”  _

“I know, Leia.” 

“If he still falls and the galaxy and our lives are  _ ruined… _ ” 

“We’ll be together even then.”

She groaned, leaning away, staring into his compassionate eyes...then she squared her shoulders, turned and strode back across the room towards their parents, Luke on her heels. 

She stopped before she got too close to their mother, her hands going to her hips. “Before we go any further, I’m going to make it  _ very _ clear what’s at stake here.” 

Luke couldn’t help but smile. She sounded as confident as ever, so different than the vulnerability she’d just shown him. 

Anakin and Padme glanced at each other, then back at her. “Okay,” Anakin replied apprehensively, while still keeping a firm grip on his wife's hand.

There was a charged silence. Then, “ _You_ and your _Emperor,_ after destroying the Republic and spending nearly two decades killing off all the Jedi and terrorizing the galaxy with your Imperial Navy and your Stormtroopers, built a massive super weapon called the Death Star. It was a circular shaped space station that had the ability to blow up entire _planets_ with a single laser shot. _I_ smuggled the blueprints away from an Imperial data storage facility on Scarif before _you_ could prevent it, and for that reason, when you did finally capture me and my ship, you _personally_ tortured me yourself. _For_ _hours._ Then, when that didn’t work and I still didn't break and tell you what you wanted to know, you _personally_ held me back and forced me to watch as Grand Moff Tarkin blew up my home planet of Alderaan, including killing my _entire_ family along with it, right in front of me using that very weapon.” 

There was a stunned, horrified silence. Their parents and Ben had gone deathly pale, shattered at the revelation. Anakin looked like he was about to be sick. Padme's eyes were wide as saucers, her free hand having flown up to cover her mouth, as if preventing a scream. 

Luke announced, sheepishly. “We...ah ...decided to tell you.” 

More silence.

“So...buckle up?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they're going to tell their parents the horrible, horrible truth! The question is, what will Anakin do with the information? Fall anyway and ruin the twins lives, as Leia fears? Or choose not to fall, as Luke hopes? You'll have to find ouuuut!   
> Leave some love!   
> Love,   
> LadyVader23


	9. The Future Revealed

“If you haven’t gathered by now, the Republic falls. Hate to break it to you like this, though,” Luke began after they’d sat back down across from their three stunned elders. Anakin held his wife’s hand in a death grip, hardly able to breathe as he listened in abject horror.

_ By the Force... _

He tortured his  _ own _ daughter. He would one day  _ blow up Alderaan.  _ All of the Jedi...killed, apparently most of them personally by  _ his hand _ . 

Darth Vader, his future persona, made Count Dooku look like a fancy elderly child playing pretend. No wonder his daughter hated him so virulently. 

“It fell about the time of my...or, I guess,  _ our _ birth.” Leia added, waving a hand almost absentmindedly at her brother. “In Coruscant, it’s celebrated on the twenty-third day of the fifth month of the year. My birthday is two days after that.” 

“Does that mean that’s my birthday, too?" Luke asked curiously, his eyebrows arched questioningly. "I was never told when my birthday actually was. Interesting."

Anakin should have been bothered that his son wasn’t even aware of his exact birth date, but it was completely overshadowed by the fact that they now had an  _ exact _ date as a deadline to fix this mess, hopefully before it even got started.

“The Senate wouldn’t just  _ let _ an Empire begin, just like that.” Padme reasoned, sounding calmer than she felt. Anakin could sense her frantically trying to backtrack to figure out  exactly  what went wrong. “Empires don’t just happen overnight, either. That means  _ someone _ was plotting this well in advance.” 

“Agreed, Senator. Do the Separatists win the war?” Obi-Wan asked grimly. He looked like he’d aged another ten years in the last ten seconds. 

“No.” Leia reluctantly replied with a shake of her head. “They lose, but if it helps, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine is the one who begins the Empire.” 

Anakin went absolutely still. A roaring began in his head, overshadowing everything else. 

No. Not possible. The twins  _ had _ to be mistaken.

His son must have seen the disbelief on his face, because he nodded his head as he addressed him specifically.

“Leia's right. Palpatine becomes Emperor. Palpatine is  _ your _ master in the Empire.” Luke confirmed with a pained look he barely noticed. 

_ No!  _

And yet, even as Luke said it, things began to click into place in his mind. The intense interest in him from the moment they’d met. How Palpatine had often demanded that the Jedi Council allow him to stay on Coruscant, likely to separate him from Obi-Wan. He’d always thought Palpatine genuinely liked him, even wanted to mentor him. He'd certainly gone out of his way to lend him an encouraging ear whenever he'd needed to vent...about the Jedi, about Obi-Wan, about the war. Suddenly, he was blindsided by a truth he  _ should _ have seen long before now but hadn't.

He was being used. 

Subtly, craftily, methodically.

Palpatine had seen his Force potential from a young age, had seen the Jedi’s plans to use him as the Chosen One, and had decided to step in. For his  _ own _ benefit. Damn it, he'd been so kriffing  _ blind! _

He wanted to deny it. He wanted to call his children liars. But he couldn't.

The Force rang with the truth. 

“This is all _ my fault!! _ I...I’m the reason he’s Chancellor in the first place,” Padme gushed in a horrified whisper, and he could feel her anguish spike as she pulled her hand from his to bury her face in it. “By the Force, he...I thought...I thought he wanted what was  _ best  _ for our people…He...he convinced me to call for the Vote of No Confidence in Valorum...” Her voice trailed off, grief drenching her words.

He wasn’t the  only one Palpatine had manipulated. He’d gone after his wife, too. Though she’d been a strong, beloved queen, she’d still only been fourteen, and she hadn't had the political experience, savviness, or acumen to deal with a master liar and manipulator like Palpatine.

Nor did she have the Force.

Not that  _ that  _ would've been much help anyway, seeing as how the  _ entire _ Jedi Order had been duped by this particular Sith Lord. Right under their noses at that.

So, Padme, as trusting and relatively naive as she was back then, had listened to the counsel offered by the man the Nubians had entrusted with their best interests. That wasn't her fault, as he'd been in power long before she became queen.

“Then this whole war has been nothing but a ruse, a terrible game of cat and mouse, its sole purpose designed to grant that bastard more and more power over the galaxy, and  _ we've _ been the mice the entire time!” Obi-Wan quickly deduced, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. “We’ve played right into his hands.  _ All _ of us! We’ve been following a  _ Sith Lord,  _ and we’ve been blind to it...how…?” 

The  _ Jedi _ had been blind.  _ Yoda _ had been blind.  _ He’d  _ been blind, been used…

He felt as if his entire world was shattering all over again. 

“So...the Clones…?” he began, his voice sounding as strained as his expression undoubtedly was.

“Well, naturally the Empire’s version of events is totally skewed. The Emperor wouldn’t flat out  _ say _ he orchestrated the Clone Wars to his favor. But it was the Clones that killed the Jedi, led by  _ you _ . The Emperor said the Jedi were planning a coup to overthrow the Republic. He said the Jedi had attempted to assassinate him, and had left him deformed and horribly scarred as a result. He ordered  _ you _ to march on the Temple with an entire battalion of Clones, where you proceeded to massacre every single Jedi in the place. I was told  _ you _ personally slaughtered the younglings and even the babes in the creche, sparing  _ no one _ . My father watched the security holo footage of the atrocity inside the Temple and told me what happened.” Leia explained bitterly, hugging herself as she spoke. “My father said the Senate actually  _ cheered  _ when the Empire was formed and Palpatine declared himself Emperor. They readily accepted the systematic murder of the Jedi, branding them as traitors. If anyone survived, they were later hunted down and killed. Luke...Luke’s the only known Jedi left. If there are others, they’re so hidden, we don’t know about them.” 

“But what about new Force Sensitives?”  Obi-Wan asked, his brow furrowed. “An Empire couldn’t stop them from being  _ born…” _

“No. If they aren’t killed outright, they’re stolen from their families, who usually end up murdered, and turned into Inquisitors.” 

“Inquisitors…?” Anakin asked, perplexed.

Leia leveled a frigid glare at him. For once, he didn’t blame her. Everything was falling into place...his entire life...one big maniplulative ploy… “They’re Dark Force users under the command of Darth Vader. Not much else is known about them, though they did disappear relatively recently. No one really knows why.” 

He nodded his head absently, not really focused on her last comment, his mind awash in one horrifying detail after another, tumbling over and over and over in his head.

He felt sickened to his very core.

He would become a murderer. One as loathsome as they come. He’d end up killing all those precious sweet children…even more…All because he would betray all he knew and everyone he loved to swear his allegiance to that diabolical despotic scumbag. It was unconscionable. 

He was suddenly jolted from the hell of his own thoughts by his wife's sweet voice.

“Anakin wouldn’t do that. Not in a million years.” Padme said firmly, her faith in him unyielding. 

“And yet, here we are, Mother.” Luke held up his mechanical hand as proof, though there was no anger in the gesture. Just...complete exhaustion. 

“How did you know me then if all the Jedi died? And  _ why  _ do you keep calling me 'Ben'?” Obi-Wan asked Luke, his face registering his confusion.

Luke’s eyes flickered to Anakin before moving back to the older Jedi. “My aunt and uncle weren’t too keen on giving me the details…”

“Your aunt and uncle?” Padme frowned. “Sola and Darred?” 

Despite everything, he felt his son’s interest spike at the mention of Padme’s family. “No. Owen and Beru.” 

He didn’t immediately recognize the names like he normally would have. He was still reeling from...everything, but Padme instantly picked up on it. “Oh, Anakin’s stepbrother and his girlfriend? I didn’t know they got married…But then we've not seen them in a few years either, what with the war and all…” 

“ _ Tatooine?!”  _ Anakin asked, horrified. 

Luke grimaced. “Yeah.” That one word alone told Anakin all he needed to know about Luke’s thoughts on the planet. They echoed his own. 

“I didn’t even  _ know  _ them. Why the hell would you be sent there?!  _ Who _ sent you to them?!” He demanded.

“No idea. I...I guess Ben brought me there when I was a newborn? I never thought to ask…” He scratched the back of his neck.

“Well, it  _ would _ be the last place Anakin would look…” Obi-Wan pointed out dryly, earning himself a glare from both Anakin and Padme. “What? It’s not like  _ I  _ want to go back there either.” 

“Anyway,” Luke rolled his eyes and continued reluctantly, “Uncle Owen didn’t like Ben. That's what he called you, by the way...so, I grew up thinking he was some crazy loner hermit who lived in the desert. We ran into each other a few years ago while I was out looking for my droids, and you told me…” he trailed off. “You know. That lie. And about the Jedi.” 

“Ah.” Obi-Wan rubbed his beard, his eyes sliding to the view port behind the twins, lost in thought. 

“If you were on Tatooine with your aunt and uncle,” Padme said after a brief silence, “Then why was Leia on Alderaan? My family wouldn’t leave Naboo. And you mentioned having a father and a family…?” 

Leia’s lips tightened, and Anakin expected her to argue all over again that she couldn’t say why, but then rather reluctantly, she said, “I was adopted by Bail and Breha Organa.”

“ _ Bail?!”  _ Padme gasped in shock, her eyes rounded out like saucers, leaning back in her chair in surprise. “I...He’s a very good friend of mine. That's true,  but-- ”

“He was a great  _ father  _ to me _ ,”  _ Leia interrupted fiercely, “and my  _ biological sire _ allowed him, and my mother, Breha and my  _ people  _ to be blown up in front of me. Almost two  _ billion  _ people. Gone. In an  _ instant.  _ Because of  _ him! _ ” She snarled, jabbing her index finger toward Anakin once more.

A pregnant pause filled the room.

“And...if I joined up with you, why are you not better trained? Both of you?” Obi-Wan reluctantly asked. 

Luke hesitated, and Anakin wanted to interrupt him, beg him not to tell him anymore horrible things… 

“You were killed on the Death Star.” 

No one missed the look Luke gave Anakin. No one needed to ask who. 

He’d done it. He would one day kill Obi-Wan. His best friend. His mentor. His  _ brother.  _

Barbaric horror, terrifying agony, unprecedented suffering.

Malice and malevolent  _ hatred _ .

_ This is the  _ **_real_ ** _ cost of the Dark Side,  _ something whispered in him.  _ Two billion people. No. More. Gone, by my hand on Palpatine's orders.  _ No wonder his daughter hated him so much. No wonder his son was so apprehensive. And he couldn't blame them. The cost of turning to the Dark Side meant ruining everything _. Destroying everything. _

_ But what about saving Padme?  _

He glanced at her. Saw her pale, horrified expression and the fear in her beautiful eyes. He imagined that look turned on him. Even if it was to save her life...she’d look at him like this. Maybe worse. And his gut twisted painfully at the thought.

She turned to him now, her eyes wide and pleading. “You wouldn’t. You  _ won’t.  _ Ani,  _ please _ ... _ " _

What was the cost of saving Padme’s life? 

The question reverberated over and over again in his head. He met Leia’s stony glare, felt her pure unadulterated  _ hate  _ so intensely the Force radiated with it _.  _ He inhaled deeply as he cogitated. She was thankfully untrained, apart from her incredible innate shielding capabilities...but maybe that wasn’t a good thing. If a Sith like Palpatine or...or even  _ himself  _ were to realize her potential...half of the work had already been done. And she looked  _ so _ much like Padme...he didn’t want either one of them to be so angry and hateful. 

Then there was Luke. His son. The boy had warmed to him somewhat over the last few days, but there was still conflict in him, especially when he moved his mechanical hand. The hand  _ he’d  _ taken from him. 

Thinking of Obi-Wan, his former master, the man who was more brother to him than anything...to think of the pain and anguish he would suffer if he turned...that his doing so would condemn him to essentially solitary confinement in hiding on that wretched dustbowl of a planet to keep a watchful eye over  _ his _ son. Then...then he’d die. By his hand. 

Finally, he considered the loss of the entire Jedi Order...many of whom he considered close friends, even family…

Force help him! So much weighed on  _ his _ shoulders, hinged on this  _ one _ decision he alone must make.

The cost of saving Padme wasn’t just damning an entire galaxy full of trillions of faceless people he had little personal feelings for. It wasn’t even destroying the Jedi Order. Those alone were terrible enough. But the cost of saving  _ her _ , his Angel, was to shred their family into tatters and cast them to the proverbial winds. And he was so, so damn _ tired _ of his family being hurt. First his mother. Now his wife and children.

All because of  _ him _ .

He stood, crossing over to the view port so that no one could see the tears of despair stinging his eyes. He stood for a long time, silent, arms crossed over his chest.

When he finally spoke, his voice was rough, nearly hoarse, as he wrestled to control himself. 

“I can’t.” He began haltingly at the nearly overwhelming anger and betrayal he felt at the hands of the man he'd considered to be a mentor. Not just that, but  _ a friend. _ His horror for what he’d do if he turned into Darth Vader. His anguish for possibly letting his wife die. “I...I won’t turn to the Dark Side.” 

He meant it. He truly, truly did. 

But it still felt like by doing nothing, he was sentencing his own wife to death. 

But he knew, deep in his soul, that if her death meant saving the galaxy, saving their children...she'd tell him it was the right thing to do. And she'd be right in saying that.

It didn’t make it any better. He’d have to hope his children being here changed the timeline enough that he could still save her...and everyone else. 

* * *

_ Thank the Force! _

Padme let out a breath of relief she didn't realize she'd been holding. She’d known Anakin would make the right decision, but she had to admit, there was a very  _ tiny _ part of her that had been worried. When he loved, his love was absolute, and after the loss of his mother…

She trusted Anakin with her life. That would never change. But...she also knew what he was capable of when he felt her life was in danger. Losing his mother the way he did had left deep scars that she didn’t think he’d  _ ever _ fully heal from. Understandably so. But to lose her,  _ too… _ she didn’t know what he’d do. 

Thankfully, the Force had deemed it necessary to step in.

Because they now knew something of their children’s - and the galaxy's - future, they could prepare. She could prepare. She would  _ not _ go quietly. She wasn’t afraid of death--she’d confronted it constantly since being elected Queen, especially after the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo.

But Luke and Leia sat across from her, staring apprehensively at their father. And they, paradoxically, were also growing in her womb at this precise moment. Anakin wasn’t the  only person who needed her. 

“Then we will make sure that future never happens.” She said, firmly. There was no room for argument in her voice, and she sent a pointed look specifically at her daughter. Even now, Leia didn’t look convinced. “We now know  _ who _ the Sith Lord is that the Jedi have been looking for  and  that he is currently running the entire Republic. And through his apprentice, the Separatists as well.” 

“That alone is tricky, Senator. We have no concrete evidence proving this besides the word of two time travelers.” Obi-Wan practically hadn’t stopped rubbing his beard since the twins started talking. If he didn’t get it under control soon, she worried he might rub it off.

“But it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Luke frowned. He hadn’t taken his eyes off his father’s back. “If you just point out how he’s positioned himself into power…”

“It doesn’t work like that.” Leia shook her head. “Any good conspiracy theory makes sense when you use circumstantial evidence, but to take down a man like Palpatine through politics, you’d need hard proof. Even  _ then  _ there’s no guarantee. By this point in time, my father said he’d already garnered the favor of the majority of the Senate. I doubt showing them even a video of him murdering someone would sway his supporters. And don't forget, he's also a powerful Sith Lord.” 

Guilt again settled in Padme's gut. This was partly her fault. If she hadn’t been so fooled by that piece of filth…Yet he’d fooled _everyone._ Master Yoda and the entire Jedi Council included. And Leia was right. Even if they _could_ somehow garner the support to remove Palpatine from power, democracy had taken a serious hit if the bulk of the senators would cheer for an Empire. 

Obviously, the Republic was weak and critically flawed in many respects to have allowed the unthinkable to have occurred...or  _ nearly _ occurred, as it were.

There would be  much work to be done to fix it once they rid themselves of the blight that was Palpatine.  That  was priority number one.

“Then it can’t be done through politics.” Anakin said. He still hadn’t turned around. If one didn’t know him, they wouldn’t have noticed the slight tremble in his voice. But...she supposed it didn’t matter that the twins didn’t know him. They could feel his emotions...or at least, she thought Luke could by the way her son’s eyes narrowed at his back, his nose crinkling in concern. 

“We can’t launch a military campaign against the Chancellor. Especially not with the Clones, Anakin. You  _ know _ that.” Obi-Wan looked to Leia and frowned. “Did Senator Organa ever say  why the Clones so readily killed the Jedi? We've worked so closely with them...it just seems  odd that they'd slaughter us en masse like that.” 

“Most believed they’d stopped a Jedi uprising to overthrow the Republic, but there were a few who hadn’t turned that my father trusted.” Leia explained. 

Padme listened in silence to Leia's explanation. It was still weird to hear her daughter call Bail her father, but she supposed that given their circumstances, she was...actually, she didn’t know  _ how _ she felt about it. Bail was a good friend to be sure, and she understood why it might have been dangerous to leave Leia with her family on Naboo, but it still felt wrong. Shaking off her thoughts, she refocused on the issue at hand.

Leia continued. “The clones said they had chips in their heads that had pre-programed orders of the Jedi extermination…” 

“ _ What?”  _ Anakin whirled, his entire body tense. “The inhibitor chips? The ones Tup and Fives were  _ killed  _ over?!” 

Leia watched him warily, as one would a dangerous animal. “I don’t know who they are.” 

“They were clones in Anakin’s squad.” Padme explained patiently. 

“They were killed because we were told their inhibitor chips malfunctioned.” Obi-Wan added darkly. “The council has been apprehensive over the clones ever since.” 

“He tried to tell me…He must have discovered the truth about those chips...” The look in her husband's eyes was far away. Yet more deaths he likely thought he could have prevented. 

“Palpatine is evidently a master manipulator.” Padme quickly cut in, reminding him and everyone else in the room what they were here for. “ _ But _ , we have an advantage now...he doesn’t know we have our future children here, exposing his evil plan. Anakin, do you think Rex would trust you enough to let you remove his chip?” 

“He’d probably remove it himself if I explained things.” He replied, thankfully a little more present. Even with his decision made, it was evident to her that he was still in turmoil. He likely would be until the twins were born, and he saw with his own eyes she was alive and safe. 

It would be a long six months and a grueling pregnancy because of everything. Force help her. No, help them  _ all _ .

“And do you think you could extract the data from the chip?” She knew if anyone in the Republic could do it, he could. He  _ was _ a technical genius also, as well as being the best pilot in the galaxy.

“...It would definitely prove the chips need to be removed, but I don’t think that would be enough to prove that the Chancellor is behind it.” 

“No, but if we kill Palpatine first, do you think you could get the evidence from his hard drives?” Obi-Wan carefully suggested, his eyes narrowed on his former padawan. He continued to stroke his beard. Padme and the twins looked back and forth between the Jedi, listening to their exchange.

Anakin’s skin was an unnatural pale color, much more noticeable because of his naturally tanned skin from his youth spent on Tatooine. He looked ready to throw up. Padme didn’t blame him--it was honestly surreal that they were talking about assassinating the Chancellor. Evil though he was... “Assuming he left something incriminating in his office files, maybe. Something of this nature probably has a lot of security, though. I’d need time to break in and conduct a search.” 

“I thought Jedi didn’t kill unless absolutely necessary?” Luke cautiously asked. “Don't get me wrong here...I definitely  _ don’t _ like the man, not one bit, but wouldn’t it be better to have a trial with that evidence?” 

“If a Master of the Sith has managed to hide for  _ years  _ in plain sight under everyone’s noses without being detected  _ and _ not only caused but actively planned for and instigated a galactic war responsible for countless untold atrocities and deaths across the galaxy...we can’t risk it should he either be acquitted or escape. The man  deserves to die for what he's done and  should  be put to death for his crimes…to protect us all from him doing this again.” Obi-Wan replied, though his brows were deeply furrowed. Then, he sighed and shook his head before continuing.

“Look, I don’t like it. I  _ know _ it's not the Jedi way. And, the fact that it would be  _ us _ doing this would also likely cause a backlash against the Jedi Order, but that said...we  _ can’t _ risk leaving him to the Senate that, to your mother’s point and future Bail's point, will more than likely be swayed by him. Then things might end up worse, as Leia feared it would.” 

There was a heavy silence in the room as they  all contemplated the seriousness of these facts and events. Then, “So, you and I kill him?” Anakin clarified, with a resigned look at his best friend and former master.

Obi-Wan let out a long sigh, looking like the heaviest yoke  ever had just been plopped on his shoulders. “Yes. I don’t think we can risk bringing anyone else in. Not at this point anyway. The more people who know, the more likely the Chancellor will find out and foil our plans, and he's obviously wily enough to do just that.” 

Padme placed a trembling hand over her heart. If this went wrong...if they didn’t find the evidence they needed in time…Her beloved husband and her dear friend could go to prison. Or worse. 

She didn’t want to think about that. They  _ had _ to succeed. Anakin was the Chosen One...right? 

But the Chancellor had still positioned himself as a mentor to him. Even knowing he’d been manipulated and selfishly used all these years, it couldn’t be easy to kill the man that just an hour earlier they’d all trusted. 

“Billions of people’s lives are at stake.” She firmly reminded him--all of them. “If we have a chance at preventing that...we have to take it.” 

“I know.” Anakin assured her, though he still looked troubled. 

“In the meantime, I’ll need to make sure the Senate--” 

“Absolutely not.” Anakin firmly interrupted with a grim shake of his head. “You are going somewhere  _ safe.  _ I’m not about to let him use you or hurt you in a retaliatory act of malicious spite if this goes wrong.”

Instantly, she bristled. There was that over protectiveness that drove her up a wall. Yes, his heart was in the right place, as it always was, she acknowledged, but she wasn’t about to  _ hide  _ while Anakin and Obi-Wan saved the galaxy. Not when she could potentially help.

“Anakin might not be wrong, Senator.” Obi-Wan reluctantly cut in before she could give her husband a piece of her mind. “If something does go wrong and this all ends horribly, it  _ would _ be better if you could retreat somewhere safe and secluded so the Chancellor never finds out about the twins.” 

“I’m not about to go into hiding while the galaxy needs me.” She glared. “Like it or not, I’m involved in this crisis, too, and while you two are taking care of military matters,  _ someone _ needs to take care of the fact the Senate is evidently primed and ready for an  _ Empire  _ to overtake the entire galaxy _.  _ Even if you two succeed, even with hard evidence, we might not be able to stop some sort of serious political shift in power from happening. You realize that, right? Are you two equipped to handle  _ that _ , too? Don't you agree that  _ that  _ is more  _ my arena _ and area of expertise, hmm?” 

Both men were silent. Anakin looked like he wanted to object, but even he couldn’t deny they couldn’t handle the Senatorial backlash and fallout that would certainly erupt, and even attempting to after killing the Chancellor would make things look worse. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t internally warring with his need to protect her. 

But the compromise came from the most unlikely person. Leia.

“What if there was a way to do both?” 

Anakin’s eyes shifted to his daughter and glued to her, eager for a way to protect his beloved wife. “I’m listening.” 

Leia’s expression tightened...but a small smile crept on her face. 

“How about a trip to Alderaan?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The truth is out! Anakin seems determined not to turn, but once he faces Palpatine, will that hold? And what's going to happen on the trip to Alderaan?   
> Stay tuned!   
> Leave some love!   
> Love,   
> LadyVader23


	10. Promises

Chewing on his lower lip, he couldn't hide his trepidation at their chosen course of action.  Honestly, this had better work...

Because they'd all be screwed if it didn't.

“Are you  _ sure _ this is the best idea?” Luke asked in concern, as he and Leia watched Anakin give their mother a passionate kiss goodbye before they embraced for a very long time, speaking in fervent hushed whispers to each other. Sadly, they’d need to wait to board until Padme had entered her ship and moved toward the cockpit before they themselves entered and holed up in the back of the ship to keep from making them all sick as Wyrkoons. 

Which really  _ sucked _ . He  _ finally  _ found out who his mother was -  _ and  _ he got to meet her - but he couldn't so much as  _ touch _ her without causing some weird kind of time-space meltdown thing happening.

Not. Fair.

“Of course I’m sure. We're talking about a political coup on Coruscant. Remember? Besides, my parents did it all the time on Alderaan when I was growing up.” Leia didn’t look at him as she said this, and he could sense that though she was truthful, she also wasn’t telling him the full story. _Figures._

“I’m not saying it isn’t, but…” he trailed off. It was so rare that either of them talked about the people they’d lost. It was like a mutually unspoken agreement to just not go there. It had occurred to him that his aunt and uncle were still alive in this timeline, but the thought of visiting them felt  _ wrong _ somehow...like reopening old wounds better left closed. 

Honestly, he didn’t think he could do it. That and well, he had zero desire to ever visit Tatooine again. H e had to admit, his twin sister was one strong individual. The very idea that Leia would soon be seeing not only her lost adopted parents, but also her entire lost  _ planet… _

He didn’t know how she could face it, let alone so calmly. If he were in her shoes, he'd probably be going berserk about now. 

“It’s a good idea.” She said, stiffly. She still didn’t look at him, just at the ship. The moment their parents finally let one another go with one last kiss and Padme entered the ship, Leia motioned to follow. “Well, let’s get this done.” 

He bit his lip, worried for his best friend and sister, but he followed without complaint. 

At least, until they reached their father who was standing at the end of the ramp. He still stared up into the ship, even though Padme was out of sight, and it was obvious he too, was worried for their mother. “Take care of her.” He said solemnly as the twins approached. 

“You don’t need to worry about us.” Leia replied, and for once she didn’t sound as snippy as usual. Luke wasn’t sure if it was because she was distracted with her own upcoming confrontation, or if she understood Anakin’s genuine desire to see their mother safely returned. Either way, he was glad that they weren’t yelling. It didn’t seem to be the ideal way to leave off a relationship with someone they might not see again. 

Because...they were changing the future, right? 

Their father could die. Their mother could die. Anakin could still decide to turn to the Dark Side. He could get arrested. He could…Luke shook his head, breaking off that dark spiraling train of thought.

“I just hope this works. For everyone’s sake.” Leia said stiffly, awkwardly. The closest she’d get to civility with Anakin Skywalker. Depending on how time travel  _ really _ worked, maybe the next time they saw him they’d have a good relationship. Who knew? He didn’t dare suggest it, but that didn't mean he couldn't  _ hope  _ for it.

Anakin gave her a small, wry smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You don’t need to worry about us.” He quoted back at her.

She only rolled her eyes, but said nothing more to him before she turned and marched up the ramp without looking back, heading into the ship. 

Leaving him alone with their father. 

Once again, he was hit with the overwhelming sense of  _ what if?  _ Try as he might, he couldn’t push it away, until finally he blurted out, “Let me come with you. I can help.” 

Anakin’s blue eyes darted to his son's, and Luke swore he could feel the rush of understanding through their bond. He knew the answer before Anakin opened his mouth to say it, but it still crushed him when he said, “I would like nothing better than to have you by my side, my Son. One day, that  _ will _ be the case...but not today.” 

“I know I wasn’t trained like you, but--” Luke stammered, hoping to change his father's mind.

Anakin interrupted him by placing his hand on his shoulder. The warmth of his father's touch spread through him, and he fell quiet.

“Don't misunderstand me. I don’t doubt your ability, Luke. This isn’t meant that way. It’s...it’s for your safety, and your mother's. If this somehow goes wrong, I need to  _ know _ someone competent is there in my place to protect your sister and your mother. I'm entrusting their safety to you, Son.” 

There was a heavy silence. Then Luke swallowed thickly and asked, “Even from you?” 

Anakin’s expression tightened, his eyes reflecting his seriousness. “I won’t fall.” 

“You don’t feel certain about it.” Anakin didn’t reply, and Luke’s mechanical hand tightened. The physical reminder of what his father stood to lose. “Promise me you won’t.” 

“I already said I--” 

“ _ Promise me, Father.”  _ He didn’t know why he needed to hear that promise. Somehow, he felt as if getting that promise out of him would somehow make the chances of his father at least staying Anakin Skywalker more real. 

His father sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I promise, Luke.” 

The Force rang with his sincerity. He meant it, and Luke felt like a weight had lifted off of  _ all _ of them with those words.

“I believe you.” And Luke was surprised to know  he  meant it. If someone had told him a few days ago that he’d be putting his trust in the man who would become the future Darth Vader, he would have called them crazy. But here he was...and by the way Anakin’s hand squeezed his shoulder firmly before letting go, he got the impression he appreciated it. 

And yet...the idea of turning around and leaving him…

Before he even thought to do it, he reached out and embraced his father, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. It wasn’t a long hug, and Anakin stiffened awkwardly under it, but he didn’t pull away either. Then, slowly, cautiously, he too reached up and returned the embrace...albeit with a few timid pats on the back. 

Luke’s eyes swam with unshed tears, and he quickly pulled away. “Sorry. I just...always wanted to do that.” 

“Probably not when I cut your hand off, though.” It was a lame attempt at a joke, and probably a bit soon, but...Luke attempted to grin anyway. 

“No. Not exactly. But I expect to keep my hand in the future.” Then, he turned and started heading up the ramp. He felt Anakin’s eyes on his back all the way up, and when he reached the top, the ramp began to close. 

He turned, quickly catching Anakin’s gaze one last time. “I’ll guess I'll meet you again in, oh, six months or so?” 

The last he saw of Anakin Skywalker, he snorted, and called back, “See you in six months, Luke. May the Force be with you, my Son.” 

Luke smiled one last time at the man he looked so much like, "May the Force be with you...Father."

* * *

Well, they'd arrived. On Alderaan. 

And already their mother was expressing her concern.

“Are you  _ sure _ you’re going to be alright?” Padme called from the cockpit after they’d landed. 

Leia scowled. What was with everyone and asking her if she’d be alright? Of  _ course _ she would. She was in the past. She understood it was the past. These people…they weren’t  _ her _ people. Bail and Breha...they weren’t her parents. Not yet, anyway.

“I’ll be fine.” She promised back. “Is everyone you invited here?” 

“Bail didn’t say over the comm, but let’s hope so.” 

It was weird, to have a conversation with their mother from the other end of the ship, but any closer and they’d all feel sick. It definitely made things difficult. Her voice was starting to get a little hoarse. 

She and Luke stood. Though Luke had stopped asking, she didn’t miss the worried looks he kept giving her. “We’ll go out first.” He called out to their mother. 

Leia's eyes darted to the lowering ramp. How different would everything be? Would it be the same as she remembered? 

They’d landed on the landing pad outside the royal palace. As sunlight flooded in, she blinked, attempting to clear her eyes before soaking up the view before her. 

First, it was just the permacrete landing pad. But then…

A  _ young _ Captain Antilles stood there, waiting in his familiar uniform. His hair was dark brown, and there were far less wrinkles than what she remembered. He looked so different than the last time she’d seen him--when he'd been strangled by Darth Vader. 

The first physical reminder of what she stood to lose if this all went wrong. But as she headed down the ramp, Luke steadfastly by her side, her breath hitched, her jaw clenched, and she stopped halfway down, her feet suddenly frozen in place as if locked in carbonite. In her breast, her heart started to hammer a staccato rhythm, and her palms felt sweaty. She moved her teary eyed gaze in a panoramic sweep across the landscape.

Her beloved Alderaan. 

Towering skyscrapers, glittering in the sunlight. Lush green parks dotting the cityscape. Beyond that, snow capped mountains that she still saw nightly in her dreams, stretching as far as the eye could see. 

She’d forgotten how  _ beautiful _ it was. Not that she didn’t remember, but her memories didn’t do it the justice it deserved. Not even close.

It was a planet full of life, beauty, and rich culture. It was her  _ home _ . It always would be. 

And if things didn’t go right on this little time warp trip of theirs, in nineteen short years it could be the first and only casualty of the Death Star. 

“Wow.” Luke said beside her, softly so Captain Antilles couldn’t overhear. “I would have  _ loved _ for this to be the first planet I visited after growing up on Tatooine.” 

She would have preferred they both grew up here together. They could have played in those parks, or in the hallways of the palace. She probably would have roped him into helping her catch the fish in her father’s office tank when her parents' backs were turned. 

An ache began in her chest and began to throb, and it deepened the longer she took in all that had been taken from her. 

“Welcome to Alderaan.” Captain Antilles greeted kindly, forcing her to pull her gaze away from the city she thought she’d never see again. “Senator Organa and Her Majesty are awaiting you in the parlor.” 

She couldn't breathe. They were  _ so _ close. They were going to be received in the parlor, a place her parents used to greet those they were close with. How often had she returned home from Coruscant to find her mother or father waiting there? 

But reality snapped back into place at the sound of her biological mother’s voice behind her. 

“Thank you, Captain. I would greatly appreciate it if you could show us the way.” 

Leia didn’t need to be shown. She could get there in her sleep. This was her  _ home  _ after all, her family…

And yet...Padme waiting behind them was proof that she had another family. Her chest throbbed again. If things went right this time, then this wouldn’t be her home anymore. The Organa’s wouldn’t be her family. She had to bite back a sob at that thought.

But at least they’d be alive and this beautifully lush planet would be safe and preserved from Imperial destruction. That had to be enough for her. 

So, why did it hurt so much? 

She couldn't think about that now. They had a mission to accomplish. So, she forced her expression to remain neutral as they followed Captain Antilles into the palace. 

She managed to maintain her composure, regal and poised, even as she passed through achingly familiar corridors that hadn’t changed much, even nineteen years prior to the last time she’d laid eyes on it. She acknowledged to herself that just thinking that fact was beyond weird. Padme followed behind them at a sedate but unflagging pace, keeping well enough away from them, but not far enough for Captain Antilles to really notice. Instead, he occasionally pointed out rooms or portraits of interest.

With a wry spark of humor, she realized if she wasn’t in the past, she would have given the tour herself. 

They finally reached the parlor. Her steps started to slow, but Luke quickly grabbed her hand so she wouldn’t accidentally get their mother sick. And yet, as Captain Antilles opened the doors, she was struck with the horrifying thought that she wasn’t ready, that she needed to take a deep breath before…

“Senator Amidala.” Her father’s pleasantly accented voice greeted. She blinked, her brain registering him standing there, along with her mother. 

That voice. Oh, how she missed that _voice_. 

Her breath left her chest in a whoosh, even as Luke gently pulled her to the side so that their birth mother could enter without issue. Force, Bail was exactly as she remembered, and yet not at all. There were less wrinkles, and there were no gray streaks in his hair. Though there were worry lines around his eyes, they weren’t as pronounced. 

Her gaze lovingly traced every feature of his face before turning to drink in the sight of the woman that raised her. 

Her mother, the only one she'd ever known. She too, looked as radiant as she remembered. Gone were the gray streaks in her hair, the wrinkles…her dark eyes were full of happiness, even as they eyed her and Luke curiously but without any nuance of recognition. She couldn’t help but notice how Breha's gaze darted between her and Padme, likely recognizing their overt physical similarities, and she frowned. 

They were alive.  _ Alive.  _ And they were talking to her birth mother with the same pleasantries she’d heard them use with other colleagues before most meetings they'd held here. However, this time she watched the hugs and smiles they shared, Padme and the Organas, affirming their status as dear friends and allies, and she couldn't deny the measure of comfort that gave her...both personally  _ and _ for their mission.

Then they were turning to her, and they said something…which, with her admittedly selfishly internally focused musings, she didn't hear.

“Hello. My name is Luke, and this is my twin sister, Leia.” Luke greeted them, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. 

And suddenly, just like that, she could breathe again. 

_ Get a hold of yourself!  _ Kriff, she needed to focus! She was in the past. They didn’t know her in this time period. She was just Leia here.  _ Not _ Princess of Alderaan.  _ Not _ leader in the Rebellion. And most definitely  _ not _ the adopted daughter of Bail and Breha Organa. 

She was  _ just _ Leia. 

“We’re shadowing Senator Amidala.” She didn’t know what made her sound so calm and confident when she was anything but. Years of political training? Probably. Still, it wasn’t what she wanted to say to them...

_ I’m sorry for failing Alderaan, for failing you both. _

_ I’m doing okay now. I’m not alone anymore.  _

_ I’ve tried to protect what’s left of our people, our culture.  _

_ I’m so, so very sorry.  _

_ Please forgive me. _

_ I’ve missed you, terribly so.  _

_ I still dream about you, about Alderaan.  _

_ I love you. With all my heart and I always will. _

...All of that. That’s what she wanted to say. But she couldn’t, not as 'Just Leia.' And much to her dismay, her parents were looking away from her again, back to her birth mother. 

“Wow. Check it out. It’s like Mon Mothma doesn’t age one bit.” Luke whispered under his breath. Leia blinked, realizing for the first time that her parents weren’t the only ones in the room, and that they’d just introduced a bunch of senators (many of whom she knew) to them while she’d been thinking about what she wanted to say to her adoptive parents. 

“Well, some people are just blessed with good genes, I guess.” She said offhandedly, quietly, without much enthusiasm. Her mind was still rather...preoccupied...with her past fusing with their present reality.

Luke said nothing more, seeming to get just how difficult this had to be for her, but again his hand tightened on hers. Somehow, she felt as if he were reaching out to her, enveloping her in a warm embrace. He wasn’t, but she  _ felt _ it. Was that the Force? She didn’t know, and frankly, she didn’t have the energy to ask or care. 

The doors to the parlor closed, and the senators sat down on the couches she’d played on, under, and around as a child. She’d fallen asleep on them numerous times while playing as a young tot or studying for exams as a teenager. She’d been chewed out by her parents on them on more than one occasion as well. Such wonderful memories.

Kriff, she’d give anything to have those moments back. 

“Thank you all for coming.” Padme was saying to the room at large. She was as composed and regal as the few holos the Empire hadn’t destroyed of her portrayed. “I’ve called you here today because important, no  _ vital, _ information has been brought to my attention that must not be ignored.” She paused, taking a deep breath, her solemn gaze sweeping the room. Her next words detonated through their midst like an ion bomb. 

“Chancellor Palpatine is the evil Sith Lord the Jedi have long been searching for.” 

Gasps erupted through the room, shock registering on almost every face. Leia, however, watched her parents' faces. They went grim, and there was little surprise in their expression at this news. Even then, even before the Empire had arisen, they’d always suspected. She felt a rush of intense pride swell in her breast. 

“This is a grave accusation, Senator Amidala. If it’s true, democracy is under a far greater threat than we supposed.” Senator Mothma said in that calm, measured voice of hers. 

“We do have some preliminary evidence that points to this, yes. The Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, are working diligently on further evidence as we speak.” Leia tried not to think about the potential disaster that might be. 

“When you say working on further evidence,” Bail asked, and Leia knew from his voice that he already suspected the answer. It was the same tone he'd used when she was about to tell him she’d disobeyed him. “What exactly does that entail?” 

Padme didn’t miss a beat, showing just how much she trusted the senators in this room. Showing just how much she trusted her adoptive parents. “It means, Senator, that they will attempt to remove the Chancellor from power.” 

“It's a very risky move, Padme. You  _ know _ how Palpatine will respond.” It was her mother who spoke. Her mother too, had caught on to the same thing Bail had. 

“Yes. Which is why it’s likely they will kill the Chancellor.” 

The room went silent with this acknowledgement. Leia was sure she could have heard a needle drop. 

“If they fail,” a Mon Calamari senator said very gravely, “the consequences could be worse. Even dire.  _ Especially _ if the Chancellor is who you claim him to be.”

“They understand.” Padme replied smoothly, with a single nod of her head. “But this is what they do. There is  _ nothing _ the Jedi have done in this war that has not been without great risk. What I am more concerned about, and what  _ we _ here today need to prepare for, is the political aftermath.  That  is where things will get tricky.” 

“It will not be easy.” Bail frowned, his brow creasing as it always did when he was thinking through a difficult problem. “We could fail.” 

“If we do fail, then even with the Chancellor dead or removed from power, we may lose our democracy anyway. Palpatine has convinced many of our peers in the Senate to support him wholeheartedly and without question. I fear, even with his removal for legitimate reasons, those supporters may continue his heretofore hidden agenda to topple the Republic and bring forth his planned Empire.” Padme didn’t mention she already knew they likely would. They’d cheer raucously for it, in six months' time, if things went according to the Sith’s plans. 

There was another long silence as the senators processed this. “Well then.” Breha finally said. “Let’s start with what evidence you have first, shall we?” 

Padme nodded, expecting this very question, then motioned for Luke. “Luke has a copy of the evidence obtained thus far. Luke, if you would, please…?” She motioned for her unknown son to move forward.

Luke gave Leia's hand one last squeeze, before he stepped forward to present the evidence Anakin had extracted from his clone leader’s chip. And thus began the next phase of one of the most important missions of her life. If they failed...Leia glanced at her parents. 

She’d lose them - and Alderaan - all over again. And, by the Force, that just couldn't happen. 

* * *

_ Why _ did he always,  _ always _ find himself in the thick of one unfolding disaster after another? 

And, by the Force, in terms of disasters...this one was the kriffing motherlode. The end all and be all. Of the most epic proportions.

He knew he was stewing over all the proverbial 'what if's' but damn it, this time it really  _ was _ the entire galaxy riding on their...no,  _ his _ ...shoulders! One wrong move, and the entire future of the Republic was toast! All because of the conniving, underhanded, backstabbing machinations of the most vile and putrid sleamo this galaxy had seen in a millennium. They  _ had _ to kill the bastard. There was no other way.

So, no pressure, right? Yeah.

They hadn’t bothered to inform any of the Jedi of their arrival on Coruscant. Frankly, it would waste time they absolutely did _ not _ have. Not to mention risk revealing their hand to Palpatine. And that was one risk they wouldn't take. The sun had just set on the capital city-planet, and they’d been cleared for landing at the Senate building. After quickly going through the landing sequence, they exited the ship side by side, and it took everything in Anakin's power to look casual, to look _ normal... _ as he and Obi-Wan strolled unhurriedly past the guards. Outwardly, his face reflected peace and calm. Inside, however, he was a roiling bundle of raw nerves. 

“Calm yourself, Anakin.” Obi-Wan murmured quietly, soothingly. “Your feelings betray you.” 

He’d been told this many times before, but it was more important than ever that he center himself in the Force and not allow his emotional turmoil to sway or guide him. 

_ Anger is the path to the Dark Side.  _

Didn't need to tell  _ him _ that twice. It didn’t matter that he was worried for his family on Alderaan. It didn’t matter that he was utterly devastated by Palpatine’s insidious betrayal and manipulation. It didn’t matter that he was still worried out of his mind for Padme’s health. 

All that  really mattered was that  his children had suddenly appeared out of thin air -  _ literally  _ \- and dropped the bombshell to end all bombshells. And now...

Now, he needed to end this. 

Untold billions of people, including his own family, counted on it. Were counting on  _ him _ . To save them all once more. This time from a fate worse than death. From enslavement to a sadistic Sith Lord.

He was the Hero With No Fear, right? He could do this. No, he  _ had _ to do this. 

Failure was  _ not _ an option.

So, he forced himself to take deep breaths and calm down. He only mostly achieved it. But, it would have to be enough, for too soon, they were approaching the Chancellor’s office. Palpatine's sanctum. 

Anakin could sense his former mentor in there, and for the first time, he was struck by just how  much  he could sense him. How very  peculiar . He’d always thought he’d sensed the Chancellor so clearly because he had a mentor-friend-type connection to him, but now, he wondered if it was actually because the Chancellor was Force Sensitive.  _ Extremely _ Force Sensitive at that. Non Sensitives were discernible but duller in the Force, all with the exception of his beloved Padme...and Palpatine. He was always hyper aware of his wife, but Palpatine? 

Definitely a Force Sensitive who obviously was a Master at shielding for him to have fooled the entire Jedi Order.  _ Won't Yoda and Mace have a field day about  _ **_that_ ** _? _ The thought was fleeting, but a much needed splash of levity sorely needed now that the confrontation was upon them.

And right now it was, much to Anakin's annoyance, difficult to pin down exactly what his intentions were. Every time Anakin tried, it slipped from his fingers. Tonight it did the same, but this time, he was sure the Chancellor had sensed  _ him.  _ There was a momentary flash of complete surprise, then it was gone, snuffed out just as the doors opened wide, and he and Obi-Wan stepped into his office. 

Anakin tried not to be worried about the guards posted right outside the door...the guards they’d likely have to deal with when this was all over and done with. They'd worry about that later. Right now, first things first...

Something on the Chancellor’s console blinked off, and he swiveled in his seat to face them. His familiar ever-kind smile was on his face...but this time, Anakin noted clearly how it  _ didn’t _ touch his eyes. “Why, Master Kenobi. And  _ Anakin _ . What a pleasant surprise. I thought you were still engaged in the Outer Rim sieges, my friends.” 

He sounded so normal. Quite pleasantly so, actually. So concerned, yet also rather pleased. It sounded real, sincere, without so much as a hint of being contrived, and for a moment, Anakin hesitated…

But Luke and his mechanical hand flashed through his mind. Leia and her bitter hatred and fear of him. The devastation in their faces when they’d talked of the people they’d lost and the ruination of the galaxy that was their home…then Padme’s horrified expression when she found out what this man had done to undermine the peace and security of the democratic Republic she’d fought so hard for. 

_ Promise me, Father.  _

That promise sealed it. This Sith was going  _ down. _

“We were.” Anakin replied, and he was surprised at how normal  _ he  _ sounded. Maybe he’d learned something from Palpatine, after all. “The 501st still is. Obi-Wan and I made this trip alone.” 

Palpatine frowned. “That seems rather odd. My dear boy, is everything alright?” 

He sounded so  _ normal.  _ If Anakin hadn’t seen the data on Rex’s chip to confirm that at least part of the twins' story was true, he would have doubted his own kids. But he’d seen it. With his own two eyes. There was nothing on those chips that suppressed  _ dangerous  _ traits. They were an active signal, with a list of orders that could be activated at any time. Were  _ designed _ to be activated, in fact.

Most notably, Order 66. A command to destroy the  _ entire _ Jedi 'menace.' At the vocal command of just  _ one _ person. How  _ convenient. _

_ And here that one person sits, acting so benevolent.  _ All of it  _ faked _ . It nearly made Anakin choke on the bile that he had to quickly swallow.

As they'd predicted, it didn’t  directly tie Palpatine to it, but if Leia had been right about the chips (and she was), and he’d seen the consequence of his actions directly on his son’s own body…

“No. It’s not alright.” Anakin replied honestly, sweeping further into the office with a purposeful stride. “We’ve come to let you know that effective immediately,  I’m resigning from the Jedi Order. We thought you’d like to know, as this will, in all likelihood, probably mean I’ll be stripped of my military command.” 

Palpatine tensed, that concerned expression frozen on his face. Good. Their first strike scored a direct hit. He’d thrown him off. Just as he’d hoped. 

“I'm afraid I don't understand.  Why would you do such a thing, Anakin, when the galaxy so obviously needs you?” Palpatine finally managed. He still sounded concerned, but there was definitely a harder edge to it this time.

“The specifics are not your concern.” Obi-Wan smoothly cut in with an offhanded wave of one hand. “We came here simply as a courtesy.” 

“You have, after all, been like a mentor to me.” Anakin added with a shaky smile. He openly willed his conflicted feelings to be visible. Palpatine would likely sense them, and given the news he just told him, they shouldn’t feel out of place. Nor would Obi-Wan’s grim determination. 

“I disagree, General Kenobi. I believe I  do have a right to know. General Skywalker’s an important figure in the war effort. I’ll need to have an explanation to give as to why the Hero With No Fear suddenly left the front lines.” His eyes narrowed on Obi-Wan, then on him. A logical explanation, but now that Anakin knew the real truth, he could practically  _ see _ the cogs whirling, as he tried to get the information he needed to turn the situation around in his favor. 

He suppressed a shudder. 

“You can tell them I left the Jedi Order to pursue private matters.” This time, Anakin's reply was nonchalant and given with a one shouldered shrug. Again, all technically true, and that alone would have made a good generic press statement. But of course, the Chancellor wasn’t done. Not anywhere near.

More's the pity.

“Private matters?” Palpatine echoed, his eyebrows arching in surprise. “I wasn’t aware that Jedi  _ had _ private matters beyond the Order.” 

“That is between Anakin and the Council, Chancellor. If he wishes to divulge further information, he can when he’s ready. But I believe you received enough for your press statement.” Obi-Wan replied firmly, unwaveringly.

They were rewarded for their shock technique with an air of dawning comprehension, which seemed to ripple faintly in the Force. And that reaction solidified Anakin's resolve and squelched his nausea. 

_ Especially  _ given the man's next words.

Ignoring Obi-Wan entirely, Palpatine’s gaze landed solely on him, morphing into almost delighted understanding. “Ahhh…I see. This has to do with _Senator_ _Amidala_ , doesn’t it?” Anakin’s expression tightened. Palpatine simply nodded his head. “It does. Yes, well...I feared as much.” He shook his head on a sigh, standing. 

He  _ knew _ . This wasn’t a guess like Obi-Wan’s had been. Somehow, Anakin knew the Chancellor was very well aware of his relationship to Padme. To its full extent, no less. Did he know she was pregnant yet? 

Force, he hoped not. 

“Master Kenobi. Surely the Council will make an exception in this instance.” He walked slowly around the desk, spreading his hands in an imploring gesture. “Anakin is the _Chosen One,_ after all _._ He’s meant to bring balance to the Force. How can he possibly do that if he isn’t part of the Jedi, let alone the Council itself?” 

“It’s not my decision to make.” Obi-Wan said, stiffly, his eyes watching the man like a Utaupian gorshawk.

The Sith tried again.

“But you have  _ influence,  _ General. Surely you’ll vouch for your former padawan. You wouldn’t just  _ abandon _ him, would you?” His tone, though still persuasive, hid an ever growing blade of durasteel.

“My opinion is but one of many. The outcome will likely not change even if I do decide to vouch for him.” 

Anakin couldn’t help but wince. 

And Palpatine clearly noticed, and decided to seize on the opportunity. He approached him, placing a kindly hand on his shoulder. It was the same gesture he’d used countless times before. It was meant to be comforting, reassuring…

Anakin’s shoulder burned where he touched him. It took everything he had in him  not to shove his hand away.

“Let me step in. Perhaps,  _ I  _ can help you where the good General cannot.” He locked his eyes with Anakin’s, and that kindly smile was back on his face. “I’m  _ sure _ I can help, Anakin.” That hand squeezed once gently.

Anakin swallowed, hard. His heart was pounding in his chest. He hesitated. “I don’t think even  you can change their minds.” 

He meant it. Regardless of what happened next, the Jedi would, in all honesty, likely turn him away once they found out the truth. Simply toss him aside like so much spent trash. All for the sake of their vaunted  _ 'Code.' _

“Then, perhaps if Master Kenobi could keep quiet? At least until the war is finished. You are  _ far _ too valuable in the war effort to be lost to us. Surely you see that, don't you, Master Kenobi?” 

The Sith's gaze swung over to the bearded Jedi, that kindly smile seemingly plastered on his visage.

“This is  _ my _ decision, Chancellor.” Anakin said. And it was. “I will hide no longer. The truth will set us free.” 

And it would. Just not in the way the Sith had plotted and planned for.

Once again, the monster changed tactics, trying another vein as he once more set his sights squarely on the younger man.

Palpatine frowned. “My poor boy...Has something happened to Senator Amidala? Is she hurt? Sick?”

Anakin flinched. Unable to help himself, his mind turned to the uncertain future ahead. Padme. Possibly dead. His children, separated from each other and, more importantly, from their father. Him, a monster in his own right. 

The hand on his shoulder squeezed again in supposed comfort, but it felt like a vise grip, those fingers clutching like talons, latching onto the inner turmoil and seizing an opportunity to turn it to an advantage.

_ Promise me, father.  _

“Whatever it is, I can help.  _ Let _ me help you, Anakin. Let me--” 

_ Promise… _

His lightsaber was in his hand and fluidly ignited in one swift motion before he could change his mind, the blue blade extending straight up through the center of the Chancellor’s chest. 

Palpatine’s expression twisted from absolute shock...to a black, raging fury. One second his face was that of a kindly old man, the next it was as if Anakin was staring back into the soul of his very worst nightmares. The temperature in the room instantly plunged into an icy cold darkness, and before Anakin could move to block, blue Sith lightning arched up from the old man’s hands, slamming into him. The snarl from Palpatine's lips echoing hideously through the room. Anakin, his body suffused in agonizing pain, was thrown back with a cry, flying through the air before tumbling across the floor with a grunt. His lightsaber deactivated and clattering away from his grasp.

“Anakin!” He heard Obi-Wan distantly yell, but he could barely focus on anything but what he was feeling in that moment. It felt as if all his nerves had been set on fire. He could barely breathe, and his vision was blackening. Or was that just the room? He couldn’t tell. 

In blurry slow motion to his overloaded senses, he watched Obi-Wan’s lightsaber ignite, just as a _red_ _one_ appeared, out of nowhere it seemed, in Palpatine’s hands. Yet...the old man was gravely injured. He blocked Obi-Wan’s blows like a master duelist, but his breathing was ragged. Even now, Anakin could sense his life force fading. 

“ _ How?!?”  _ Palpatine snarled, his eyes now glowing an intense Sithly yellow. 

“You will never know,  _ Sith!”  _ Obi-Wan smirked, his words inflaming his opponent's fury to new heights, as he blocked a wave of lightning sent his way with his saber. 

Anakin slowly got to his feet, staggering with the effort. 

“You are _mine,_ young Skywalker! _”_ Palpatine shouted at him, even as another blast of lightning barreled towards Obi-Wan. 

Even now, even  _ dying,  _ Palpatine was powerful. Obi-Wan blocked, attempted to get closer, but was again pushed back. 

He needed to finish this. For  all their sakes.

“I can  _ save  _ the ones you love, Anakin!” Palpatine bellowed, even as Obi-Wan’s and his own red blade clashed in a spray of sparks. “You do not need to be shackled to the pathetic ways of the  _ Jedi!”  _

He took a step forward, pushing the image of Padme and his children away. 

“You can be with her and be  _ free!”  _

He took another step. Then another. Then…

He burst into a sprint. 

Palpatine and Obi-Wan still had their blades locked together. Palpatine was weakening, even with the Dark Side coursing through him, attempting to sustain his life just long enough to destroy the two Jedi. As a result, by the time he noticed Anakin, it was too late. He brought his hand up and shot more lightning at him...but Anakin slammed into him, and they fell backwards against the window with a loud thud that shook it. With the lightning still shooting, the glass shattered, and they were both falling, plunging toward the abyss of Coruscant's lower levels…

A grip on his ankles stopped him with a jerk.

Obi-Wan. 

At the same time, the Chancellor grabbed the wrist of his mechanical hand. 

Golden eyes met his. “It’s not too late…” His fading life force said otherwise. “I can save your wife!” 

Again, Padme entered his mind. Her smile. Her scent. Her kiss. Her touch. Her laugh. Her voice....

_ Promise me, Father. _

__ “Anakin, I can’t hold on!” Obi-Wan shouted in near desperation.

Anakin gritted his teeth. “I...made a promise.” With his flesh hand, he reached over to where his mechanical hand met his flesh. 

Palpatine’s eyes widened in horrified fury. “ _ Traitor! After...everything...I did…!”  _

“Go back to hell that spawned you!” 

And with that, Anakin activated the attachment mechanism, and with a bloodcurdling scream, the Sith Lord fell to his fate, gripping Anakin’s mechanical hand as if it was his last lifeline, all the way down, down, down…

His body collided with a speeder, sending the vehicle careening into oncoming traffic in the opposite skylane, and a massive explosion of light and darkness, as well as a booming fireball from the resulting crash, blinded Anakin, even as Obi-Wan pulled him back up into the office of the Chancellor. 

For a moment, there was silence. Then… 

“Are you alright, Anakin?”

Anakin was on his back, heaving air into his lungs, his muscles spasming and shivering as the remnants of the lightning blast coursed through him. He felt...he felt…

“It’s like...there’s a little less darkness in the galaxy now.” He managed to gasp out, his eyes still closed.

Obi-Wan shook his head and breathed a sigh of relief...just as the doors to the office swung open. 

“What... _ Where’s the Chancellor?!”  _

The Guards. 

Obi-Wan shot him a look. “Get the proof.” He whispered before he stood up to face the guards. “I’m afraid the Chancellor has fallen...out the window.” 

Anakin tuned them out, pushing himself to stand before he headed to the Chancellors console. It was a bit harder to get into the system one-handed, but he’d manage. 

“This is a Jedi investigation. Go quickly. I believe there was a speeder accident when the Chancellor fell…” 

He was in. He pulled up a list of files. Most were boring political drafts, treaties and war strategies. All things one would expect to find in a Chancellor’s files. 

“You killed the Chancellor, didn’t you?!” 

“As I said. Jedi business. Go check…” 

Deeper he dived. If he didn’t find something, then it was over for him. He’d be arrested, and…

Then, he found it. A whole folder of recorded secret communications. He didn’t know if they were incriminating, but they’d been hidden, so he assumed it was for a reason.

But on top of it all…

He clicked it open, and a red hologram appeared over the console. A large, round orb floated, words announcing what the file was appearing in the bottom corner. 

_ The Death Star.  _

The weapon that had blown up Alderaan. Just like his daughter had said. 

_ By the Force… _

He felt sickened once more. What he  _ would've  _ done would have brought this monstrosity to fruition.  He suddenly didn't care  how bizarre and unethical his actions on Dathomir would seem, because  _ just one wish _ , made in desperate hope of an answer to end a war, had literally saved them all. The proof stared him in the face. 

Anakin momentarily bowed his head in gratitude, thanking the Force for the answer he was given.

“Obi-Wan.” He said, grabbing the older man's attention as he immediately began copying all the files over. “I have it. I have the proof.” 

“What the hell is this?!” One of the guards shouted in bewilderment, and Anakin finally paid full attention to what was happening in the office around him. The two guards had brandished their weapons on Obi-Wan, who stood there calmly attempting to negotiate with them. “You murdered the Chancellor!” 

“No.” Anakin firmly said, making the hologram bigger so Obi-Wan could see it. He didn’t give a damn if the guards knew what it was or not. 

It was the  _ Senate _ they’d now need to convince. 

“We killed the Sith Lord who started this whole war.” 

* * *

“I fear dark days may be ahead of us if Anakin and Obi-Wan fail.” Bail said as he walked them down corridors Leia knew by heart. 

They’d just finished their hours long meeting, hashing out their plans to save democracy...and their backup plans just in case their first efforts didn’t work. 

She hoped and prayed it did work. The ways it could all go wrong played over and over in her head as she considered the various plans they’d come up with. Besides their first plan of action, all of the others had consequences of some sort, potentialities that they could probably deal with...it was just not ideal. 

She tried to relax, as she trailed behind Padme and the Organas, Luke at her side, quietly supportive. 

She had to trust her birth parents to make the right decisions so that regardless of what happened, the galaxy would be a better place for their future. 

Trusting her mother was easy. But Anakin? 

It...was an uneasy trust, to be sure.

“I trust in democracy.” Padme said, confident as ever. “Even if the Senate does not, as corrupt an entity as Palpatine has made it, I believe our peoples still have faith. It is  _ they _ who we represent. Not the Senate. One way or another, their voices will prevail.” 

Their group collectively paused in the corridor.

“Well said.” Bail stopped and motioned to a door. “Senator Amidala. Your quarters for the night.” He motioned to the other two doors across the hall. Doors she knew all too well. “And...I’m sorry, you didn’t tell me your last names…?” 

She was speechless, staring at the door as if dumbstruck.

Her old room. 

“It’s just Luke and Leia, Sir.” Luke covered for her smoothly. He smiled politely, and though he’d been raised on a farm on Tatooine, distantly Leia thought he might have made a good Senator had their roles been reversed. 

Bail frowned, clearly not believing they simply didn’t have a last name, but he decided not to press the issue. “Well. Luke. Leia. Your rooms for the night are located across the hall from the Senator. If there’s anything that’s not to your liking, please let me know, and our staff will see to it immediately.” 

Leia was still staring at the door that would lead to her old room. Obviously, it was likely a guest suite at this point in time. Her parents didn’t have her, and the Queen couldn’t conceive without endangering her own life. Therefore, it was likely just a simple room, and it definitely wouldn’t have her personal touches in it. 

And yet...it had still been  _ hers _ . The layout would be the same. The sitting room. The master fresher. The arched ceilings. The glass double doors leading out to her private balcony overlooking one of the gardens. Her bedroom…

Slowly, quietly, she walked to the door and opened it, staring inside. Sure enough, it was just as she remembered, minus the personal touches. It didn’t smell the same, likely due to no one consistently living in it, but…

It was hers. 

And yet...it now wasn’t. 

“Thank you...Senator.” She said, tightly, turning to Bail. Her father. She soaked him in, committing him to memory. If things went to plan, this would likely be the last time she saw him as the man who’d raised her. Who’d loved her so fervently as his own. “Thank you.” She said again, and before she could stop herself…

She threw her arms around him.

He tensed, clearly shocked and unsure what to do. She simply closed her eyes, savoring the last hug she’d have with him, then let go. 

“I...Miss Leia...I…” Bail stuttered, unsure of what had just happened. 

She ignored the shocked expression on Breha's face and the silent understanding on Padme's.

She didn’t say anything else. She simply turned and headed into her room, tears falling down her face, as she headed for her balcony. 

Behind her, she heard Luke say apologetically, “Where we’re from, Sir, hugging is a sign of deep respect.” Then she heard the sound of Luke throwing his arms around her father, likely to add more credence to his hastily thought up explanation. Vaguely, she thought she'd have to praise him for that one. But then, quick thinking  _ was  _ a Skywalker hallmark, after all.  Her feet stumbled a bit. Skywalker. Not Organa. More tears seeped from beneath her lids and slid silently down her cheeks. “Thank you for your hospitality.” 

Then, before Luke entered and shut the door behind him, she heard Bail say to Padme, “I didn’t know that was a custom on Naboo…” 

The door shut, and she and her brother were alone in her future bedroom. Or rather, what  _ would've  _ become her bedroom...possibly still could, depending on how things went on Coruscant. She couldn't think about it. Truthfully, she hadn't the energy.

Suddenly, she felt exhausted and drained. And far, far older than her years.

She opened the balcony doors, then took a long breath in of crisp, fresh Alderanian air, inhaling deeply, almost as if she was trying to imprint this place in her body on a cellular level. The scent of cool mountain air and fresh flowers filled her senses, steadying her mind. “Thank you for covering for me.” 

Luke came to stand beside her, sensing she needed to share this one moment in this special place with just him.

“I wasn’t exactly expecting to hug Bail Organa, but I’d be happy to do it again, if it made you feel better.” He was right by her side, lending her his presence, his strength, his comfort. “This was your room. Wasn’t it?” He motioned around them with a wave of his hand.

“How did you know?” The tears hadn’t stopped falling. 

“I saw the look on your face when Bail said you’d be staying here.” He reached up and put an arm around her shoulders. “And I could feel how you felt about it.” 

She closed her eyes again, leaning into his touch. Just that alone sent a wave of warmth through her. How had she not noticed this feeling whenever Luke was with her? That alone should have made her realize he was different. “I probably bombarded you with my emotions all night. Didn’t I?” 

“I didn’t mind.” He didn't deny it.

“Liar.” 

“No, really. I didn’t.” She opened her eyes and met his gaze. He smiled, though his blue eyes were sad. For her. For them both. “You have every right to those feelings, Leia. I’m glad you weren’t alone with them.” 

Despite everything, she smiled back and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thank you, Luke.” 

He leaned his head on top of hers. “Anytime, Sis.” 

They stared at the breathtaking mountain vista for a long while before the door opened behind them and in walked Padme. “Leia.” She called out in concern, and reluctantly Leia pulled away from her twin brother to turn to her mother. 

She stood there, her eyes roaming over her, making sure she was alright. “I’m  _ so _ sorry. This must be...I can’t even imagine…” She trailed off, her hands clasped together tightly before her. For the first time, the great Senator Amidala didn’t have the words to properly express the sorrow of watching her daughter suffer without being able to do anything about it. 

eia shook her head. “It’s...overwhelming, I admit. But I’m not alone.” She looked up at her brother and offered another shaky smile that he returned. “It’s going to be okay. I truly believe that.” 

She didn’t know if it really  _ would _ . There were about a million and one different ways for it to all go wrong. But it felt right to say so, nonetheless. She wanted to reassure her birth mother as much as she could at any rate.

This wasn't any easier on  _ her _ either.

“Besides. We needed that meeting.” Leia continued. “It’s better to be prepared than not.” 

“Yes, but…” Padme shook her head, sitting down on a couch that hadn’t been in her room before. “I’m still sorry.” 

“Thank you.” Her eyes roamed over the room again, noting the differences and similarities. “This was my room, you know. I grew up here.” 

Padme paled. “I...ah, do you want to switch rooms…?” 

“No. It's fine. If Anakin does what he promised to do, we should be gone by morning.” 

Padme’s expression darkened. “He’ll do it. Don't worry.” 

Easier said than done. “How can you be sure?” 

“He promised.” Luke cut in, with a confidence she didn’t have. “We have to trust him.” 

She opened her mouth to argue...then closed it. She didn’t want to spend what little time she had left with her birth mother arguing. “Well. I guess we just wait.” 

“I guess so.” 

They found chairs far enough away from their mother and sat down. 

“So. What do we do while we wait?” Leia asked after a long silence. 

“I would suggest a game, but considering our distance issue, I don’t think that would work very well.” Luke said, glumly. 

“Well…” Padme bit her lower lip as she considered. Then, “You’ve told us plenty about the terrible things that have happened in your lives. What about the good things? I’d like to know that I didn’t completely abandon you to a terrible life.” 

“You didn’t leave us intentionally…” Leia tried, with a frown.

“I know. But, it doesn’t change the fact that I still left you. Please. There must have been  _ some _ good memories you can share.” 

Leia and Luke looked at one another, silently communicating before Luke nodded. “Alright...Well, I didn’t really love Tatooine, no, but Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were good guardians to me. They did their best to raise me well, and shield me from the dangers of the desert, as well as the Empire, I suppose.” 

And so the twins began telling their favorite stories of the good times they’d experienced in a galaxy gone wrong. Luke spoke a lot about his friends on Tatooine, as well as in the Rebellion, strongly reminding Padme of nine-year-old Anakin in his comments and enthusiasm, much to her amused enjoyment. He detailed what little he knew about the Force, and about how it’d made him feel closer to his family the more he learned. When he spoke of his love for flying, Padme smiled. 

“You and your father are  _ definitely _ related, Luke. Flying is his favorite thing in the whole galaxy...besides me, of course.” She grinned and winked. 

Luke brightened. “Yeah, Ben said he was the best pilot in the galaxy.” 

“He probably is.  _ He _ certainly likes to think so. Though, I wish he’d take less risks with it.” 

When Leia spoke, she spent a lot of time talking about Alderaan. Though the Empire cast a shadow over everything, she’d had a happy childhood. She’d been given opportunities to learn anything she wanted. She spoke of adventuring in the mountains nearby, of the people she’d been close with. She talked about how she joined the Rebellion despite her parents' wishes, and how she’d dedicated most of her career to helping others in need right under the nose of the Empire. All things Padme explained she also would have done in her position.

When she spoke of Han, her mother’s smile turned knowing. “You’re dating this boy, aren’t you?” 

“I...didn’t say that.” Leia blushed, but Padme’s gaze was expectant. There would be no hiding the truth from her. “I mean. We’ve kissed, and I told him I loved him before Darth Vader froze him in carbonite on Bespin…” 

Padme’s expression darkened at that last bit, but she chose to focus on the first part of her sentence instead. “Love is sort of an indicator that you’re dating him, or you want to.” 

“But he’s a scoundrel. Shouldn’t you, oh I don’t know, discourage me from dating him?” 

Padme snorted, making her twins laugh. “Please. I have no room to tell you who you should and shouldn’t date. I fell in love with a  _ Jedi _ after all, and secretly married him in total defiance of their Code. I’m not exactly a role model by  _ any _ stretch of the imagination.” She tilted her head, her expression turning serious. 

“But if he hurts you, then I expect you’ll give him the hell he deserves.” 

“I didn’t know you kissed him.” Luke added, frowning. “Last time I saw you two…” he trailed off, and both of them flushed. 

There was no way in hell they were going to share  _ that  _ memory with their mother.  _ Not _ happening.

“Well. I’m glad you two had happiness. Even if...even if…” she trailed off. 

“Even if our father destroyed most of it?” Leia suggested, earning her a look from her brother. “What? It’s true.” 

“Even then.” Padme reluctantly agreed, nodding. “And...whatever happens, thank you for trusting us to help change things for you. For everyone in the galaxy.” She leaned forward, expression serious again. “I promise. As long as I live, I will fight for a better future for you both. If I can spare you some of that pain, I’ll do it. Whatever it takes.” 

And though Leia wasn’t necessarily enthused about losing the good things she’d loved about her life...she appreciated the promise just the same. “Thank you--” she began, but suddenly Luke’s hand was on her own. She broke off, turning to ask him what was wrong...only to see that her hand was starting to disappear. 

As was Luke’s. 

Quickly, they both stood, panicking. 

“What? What’s happening?” Padme asked, alarmed. She too was on her feet, clearly warring with the desire to go to them to help, but unable to do so without making it worse for all of them. 

“I-I don’t know,” Leia said, voice shaking. 

“I...I think…” Luke stared in amazement at his now translucent hands. “I think...I think Father and Ben did it…” 

Leia froze, unbelieving for a moment. “Did...what, exactly?” 

“I don’t know,” Luke shook his head, “but...whatever it was, I think...I think it fulfilled the spell.”

“So, what’s happening now?” Padme demanded, “Are you…?” 

“I don’t know,” Luke replied, “Either we’re going back to our new time, or going back to our version of reality, or…” 

“Or  _ what?!” _ Padme demanded when he hesitated. Their arms were now beginning to fade. 

“Or this version of us simply won’t exist anymore. I...I really don’t know.” Luke admitted. 

Fear rushed through Leia, and she automatically reached for him, even though they were in the process of disappearing. “Luke…” 

He reached for her too, as close as he could as they continued to fade. “I...I think it’s going to be okay, Leia.” 

“How do you  _ know?!”  _ She demanded, near tears once more. The idea of disappearing, or entering a new reality…it was terrifying. 

“I don’t know. I...I just hope it will be.” He looked down at her. His face was starting to fade… “Hey. Remember what I told you?” 

_ At least we’ll be together.  _

And just as they’d come here to this time together, they were facing their unknown future...together. She was still afraid of the unknown, but if Luke was there…

She turned to look at her mother for the last time. They both did. And...she smiled, even as their mother stared in horror, unable to do anything for them. “It’s okay, Mom. We’re going to be okay. We promise. You'll see us again.” 

And though she wasn’t sure about those words, they felt right to say. 

“Make us a better future. Just like you promised.” Luke added, smiling reassuringly at their mother. 

And Leia added, "We love you, Mom."

"May the Force Be With you," Luke said at the same time. 

And as Padme opened her mouth--to say goodbye, to reaffirm her promise, to beg them to stay, Leia didn’t know--they disappeared.

And they knew no more. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the longest chapter I've written in a long while! Urg. Battle chapters. Give me a headache every time.   
> Next chapter is the epilogue. This story was again written as a gift fic, and mine was one of the longer ones of our group. It's over 50,000 words long... which is long for gift fics. It's not as long as my other stories, but honestly I really like how it's wrapping up.   
> Stay tuned for the epilogue!   
> Love,   
> LadyVader23


	11. Epilogue

**One week after the wish completion…**

Back and forth, back and forth, she walked, wringing her hands and biting her bottom lip.

Padme paced outside of the Jedi Council chambers, heart hammering in her chest as she waited, desperate for Anakin and Obi-Wan to finish giving their report. She’d spent the whole week since Luke and Leia’s vanishing before her very eyes working to convince the Senate that the war, the Separatists, literally  _ everything _ , was the mastermind of the Sith and  _ not _ an indication of the failure of democracy. 

Even if, personally, she felt there  were problems within the Republic that  allowed  the Sith's rise in the first place. 

Still, not going there. Not yet.

But mostly, that week was filled with her just trying to get her husband released. Bail, Mothma and her other friends in the Senate currently did the heavy lifting on the democracy side of things. 

After all, she’d already watched her children disappear. She needed to work to save the future they’d given them this time around. She didn't intend to waste it.

It had been difficult, which was putting it mildly, but the evidence Anakin had downloaded from the Chancellor’s console ultimately convinced the Senate that Anakin and Obi-Wan had indeed acted in the best interests of saving the galaxy from a demented psychotic madman. The recorded conversations with key Separatist leaders where he’d given away vital secrets and directed some of the worst, most heinous acts committed in the war had been damning enough. Even with that stupid hood up, his voice was recognizable enough. 

But the Death Star plans had been what solidified the truly horrifying scope of Palpatine's dastardly plans and  _ finally _ convinced the Senate to release Obi-Wan and Anakin that afternoon. 

She hadn’t even had a chance to see Anakin alone. He’d immediately been summoned to the Jedi Council to answer  their specific questions. 

And, she knew in her heart, finally reveal the truth about their relationship at last. 

It took hours. It didn’t feel like that. But, it took literally hours. The sun was still out over the vast cityscape when she’d reached the upper levels of the Temple, and it was well past dark when the Council doors finally opened. 

Anakin stood there. Alone. Their gazes locked. And from the clouded, dark look in his eyes and the defeated sag of his shoulders, she knew. 

It was as they’d always feared. 

They'd expelled him. 

And even though they’d always known the consequences they’d face if they were ever caught, she was surprised by the unsurpassed  _ rage  _ that shot through her so quickly, she started shaking. Her expression must have changed, or maybe he’d felt the change within her, because Anakin’s eyes widened, and he barely had time to say her name before she’d stormed past him directly into the Council chamber. 

Obi-Wan was still arguing forcefully with the rest of the Council, standing before them as he furiously worked to defend his former Padawan. But the moment she entered, all eyes fell on her in utter surprise, and Obi-Wan whirled in shock to watch her approach. 

“ _ How dare you?!”  _ She demanded. She wasn’t yelling, per se, but it was rare,  _ very rare,  _ that she used this tone, even in the Senate. 

“Senator,” Mace began, holding up a hand to stop her. 

Her eyes flashed like molten fire.  She didn’t give a  _ damn  _ what  _ any  _ of these ungrateful bastards had to say. 

_ They were wrong!! _

“After everything he has done for you, everything he has sacrificed _ ,  _ everything he has selflessly given,  _ this _ is how you repay him?!” She felt Anakin’s hand on her arm, trying to stop her, but she ripped it out of his grasp. “No!! I will  _ not _ be silenced!!” 

Anakin backed up a step, eyes blown wide, mouth agape in shock, as he took in this furious virago that was his normally sweet placid wife. 

“He led the clones honorably,” She’d whirled back on the Council. “He’s foiled _countless_ Separatist plots, protected innumerable innocent civilians, led some of the most important battles in this entire _kriffing_ war, _and - destroyed the most evil Sith Lord this galaxy has seen in a thousand years! -_ and now that he’s fulfilled your precious _'Chosen_ _One'_ prophecy, you’re turning him away and unceremoniously kicking him out because of _me?! How dare you!!”_

“There are rules, Senator--” Mace tried again. 

“Damn your fucking rules!” Now she was yelling. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan had stepped away from her, staring at her like she was a wild gundark set loose in the Temple. “If  I  wasn’t in the picture, you’d be offering him a seat in your ridiculous little club!” 

“Learn to let go, Skywalker needed to learn. This, he failed to do.” Yoda replied grimly. “To have attachments, he was not to have. Understood this, he did, and still he chose not only to marry you, but to do so in secret. Living a lie, he has been.” 

Normally she had great respect for the Grand Master. She still did, sort of. But tonight… “You’re  _ wrong!  _ All of you on this Council. All of us make mistakes. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be consequences! But to just kick him out is equally wrong!” 

“For almost nine hundred years have I lived. Reasons there are, for those rules…” 

“But you are not a god, Yoda! You don’t get to take someone from his mother, treat him like someone to be mistrusted, all the while also placing an enormous burden on his young shoulders, then once he does what _you_ should have done and yet _failed_ to take care of, kick him out and act like you did the right thing! He _saved_ the _entire_ kriffing galaxy!” 

“Only because he summoned his future children to help him out. Children  _ you,  _ Senator, are currently carrying in your womb.” Mace pointed out dryly. 

So, he’d told them about Luke and Leia. “Then you now know the future we avoided.” 

“ _ Possibly.”  _

She shook her head in disgust. “ _All_ of you are disgusting, and every last one of you presently seated on those plush chairs in this room have now lost _my_ respect! You don’t _deserve_ Anakin Skywalker in this pathetic Order you cherish! And I swear, _Masters,_ when _my_ children are born, there is no way in all of the Corellian _hells_ that you will take them from their parents and put them through the same _bullshit_ you did to their father!!! I will see to that!” 

Now, the Council members looked disturbed. It only made her angrier. What? Had they already begun deciding  _ her  _ children’s future?!  _ Not happening! _

“Senator, let’s not be too hasty…” Mace began. 

“Oh, like  _ you _ weren’t hasty in expelling Anakin? After all he's done for you as the much touted poster boy of the Order?! Trust me when I say that this Order has stolen its  _ last _ baby from their parents to be raised as emotionally barren, unfeeling, soulless automatons under your pathetic 'Code'!! And I will see to that  _ personally!! _ ” She shook her head in revulsion. “Fuck you! Fuck  _ all _ of you!! Come, Anakin! We're leaving!” 

Then she whirled, head held regally high, finally storming out of the room, an astounded Anakin hot on her heels. 

“What...Padme… _ What was that?”  _ He breathed, disbelievingly. 

“Just a dose of the truth, Love.” She growled. She was still pissed as hell, though with each step they took from the Council Chambers, it evaporated into exhaustion and utter  _ grief  _ for her husband. “I’m  _ so _ sorry, Ani.” 

He took her hand, stopping her and turning her around to face him. There was still sadness in his eyes, but gone was that shadow. He simply stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time. 

“I think,” he breathed, reaching up to cup her cheek. This time he didn’t care one iota that they were in the middle of the Jedi Temple where everyone could see them. They had no reason to hide any longer. “I think I’m going to like living this new life with  _ you  _ much more.” 

And though she still had half a mind to go back into the Council Chambers to give those sanctimonious so called  _ masters _ further pieces of her mind, she smiled, her brown eyes now twinkling mischievously. “You know what  _ I  _ want to do?” 

“What?” 

“This.” 

And right in front of multiple passing padawans, Jedi Knights, and even Obi-Wan, who’d just turned the corner to go after them, Padme wrapped her arms around Anakin Skywalker’s neck and kissed him. 

* * *

**Two months after wish completion…**

Anakin was pouring over the building schematics of various potential shops to purchase. Now that he wasn’t a Jedi, he needed a job. A real one. Because he didn’t have any formal education, he couldn’t easily slip into jobs that normally would have befitted the husband of a well-known galactic senator. Not honestly, at least. Oh, he’d received plenty of offers, of course, but they were simply offered out of hopes that the Hero of the Republic, as he was now called by the holomedia, would come work for them. 

But, he was tired of being a tool in someone else’s agenda, just to be used for selfish gain. So, he politely declined each and every offer. 

It was a weird transition, going from renowned Jedi to celebrity 'private citizen' (he used that term loosely and with great amusement) but easier than he thought it would be. No longer did he do things like meditate out of necessity to keep up appearances. He did things because they felt right to do, or because it brought him clarity within the Force. 

And use of the Force was something the Jedi  _ couldn't _ strip from him, like they'd done with his job and his lightsaber (Although, his wife had called in quite a few favors and quietly  acquired all the parts for him to make himself a new one...One which the Jedi  couldn't take away from him).

Honestly, once loosed from the prohibitions and constraints of the Order, he’d never felt more connected to the Force. It was incredibly refreshing, actually. 

Now that the media sensation was beginning to die out around him, he’d moved on to looking for a real job. And, he decided, the best place for him would be owning his own repair shop. Rex _ ,  _ Echo, Charts and several other members of the 501st had even volunteered to help him, and they’d all spent the last month raising funds for the down payment. Granted, his wife could easily afford the down payment from her private wealth, but he stubbornly insisted on doing this all himself, and they were very proud of the fact that they'd done just that.

Now to just choose the  _ perfect _ location…

His thoughts were stopped short by the sense of a very anxious Padme quickly approaching the apartment. 

Not good. 

He felt his own sense of panic escalate the closer she got to their door. He had just put away the schematics when the door opened and in walked his now visibly pregnant wife, with an expression on her face that matched her emotions. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, standing to go to her. Though they’d been diligent in going to doctor appointments and he’d even reprogramed a medical droid for her and everything was going normally, he couldn’t help but still worry. He’d saved the future from the Empire and reign of Palpatine, but he still lay awake at night worrying about Padme’s future. So her distress only made him want to pull out the medical droid to make sure for the millionth time that she and the babies were okay.

Her gaze flickered to him, then she pushed past him towards the balcony. “The Senate.” 

He frowned, following her. “Considering that’s where you work, I assumed it had to do with that.” 

To be honest, it was a miracle she still  _ was _ a Senator. The Queen had been very angry with the scandal their romance had incurred, but the media, and therefore the people of the galaxy, viewed their forbidden union as a ray of healing and hope...not to mention a deliciously naughty tidbit for all the gossip publications to gush and swoon over. If a dashingly handsome and courageously daring Jedi and well respected Senator could beat the odds and be together, then surely the Republic could come together and heal. 

Because the war  _ was _ over. Thanks to Anakin and Obi-Wan.

True, Dooku had escaped, and from what Obi-Wan had told him, they were still hunting him, but the vast majority of the Separatist planets had returned to the Republic shortly after it was revealed the entire galaxy had played into the hands of a madman and his apprentice. 

But all that only meant Padme was busier than ever. As much as he worried for her health, he was glad one of them had managed to keep their dream job. Might as well be his wife. The galaxy needed more politicians of her caliber, in his personal opinion, biased though he unabashedly was.

She sat down heavily on the couch, staring out across the cityscape as the sun set. He joined her, frowning when he found her rubbing her stomach absently. Protectively. 

“What happened?” He repeated softly, taking one of her hands in his own, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. Though Padme hadn’t been as worried for her own health as he was, watching her adult children disappear before her eyes with an unknown future ahead of them had been difficult for her to deal with. It had triggered a strong maternal instinct within her, and there were many nights she woke up in tears from reliving it, and he’d held her close, gently rubbing her back, offering her his strength as comfort as she’d cried numerous times. 

He didn’t blame her. To watch their children go through that and be helpless to do anything about it...he completely understood that. 

“They decided the fate of democracy.” She finally said, and from the tightness in her voice, he knew it wouldn’t be a good answer. 

“And?” He rubbed circles into the back of her hand, waiting for her to confirm what he already suspected. 

She shook her head sadly, dejectedly, and finally turned to him. “And the narrow majority believe it’s what got us into this mess in the first place.” 

Just as they’d feared. 

“That’s so stupid,” he scowled. “Don’t they realize they’re playing right into Palpatine’s hands, even in death?!” 

“Bail made that very same argument. It didn’t matter. They believe it was the failings of our democratic system that allowed Palpatine to gain power in the first place. They believe that we can’t just  _ replace _ the Chancellor with a new one. What if the Chancellor elected is just as two faced and corrupt? What if he’s another Sith in hiding?” 

“So, what does that mean, then?” 

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath through her nose, and quietly said the words he dreaded to hear. “It means they wish to form an Empire anyway.” 

He felt like he’d been punched in the gut. 

Yes.  They’d known this was a possibility, and yet, to hear it was actually happening at the express will of so many in the Senate…It was hard to stomach.

“Everything we did,” he breathed, “Was it for nothing?” Then he paused, realizing the implications of this could still mean Luke and Leia’s future came to pass… 

His wife read his mind. Padme’s grip on his hand suddenly tightened. “I’m  _ not _ going to die, Anakin.” 

“But--” 

“If you want, you can get the medical droid to prove it. Again.” She gave him a wry, tired smile, then continued. “I won’t die, you won’t fall, and even now...even now, we can prevent the rest of that future from happening. Despite the present situation and how bleak it looks.” 

“How?” 

Her expression tightened, but there was determination there, too. “There will be an initial vote.” He opened his mouth to point out the duplicity of that, and she raised her other hand to stop him. “I’m aware.” His mouth snapped shut. “We prepared for this potentiality. I...I thought Bail would run, or maybe Senator Mothma, but…” she trailed off. 

“What?” he asked anxiously when she didn’t continue. “ _ What _ , Padme?” 

She met his eyes. “They want  _ me _ to run, Anakin.” 

His heart sank into his stomach. He was afraid she was going to say that. And, he was no less surprised at her next words either. If he was honest, he'd expect nothing less from his wife.

“And...I think I’m going to do it.” 

* * *

**Four months after wish completion…**

“I suppose congratulations are in order” Obi-Wan said when Anakin let him in early in the morning after the big Senate vote. 

They were at his newly purchased shop, and he was in the middle of remodeling it so that it would suit his needs when it finally opened to the public. Already, he had some projects to work on, just to get the customer base started so that he’d have a stronger opening when the time was right. Obi-Wan had been helping him when he could spare the time, and Anakin always welcomed his best friend’s assistance when it was offered. 

It allowed him time, after all, to catch up with him. 

“You don’t have anything to congratulate  _ me _ over.” Anakin said wryly, as he handed Obi-Wan a tool, and they began working. “I didn’t do anything.” 

“No, but I’m sure Padme being married to the Hero of the Republic helped her likability with the people.” Obi-Wan pointed out matter of factly.

“I don’t control what the media makes a big deal out of.” Truthfully, he’d tried to stay as far away from the election nonsense as possible beyond his support of his wife. But most of that happened behind closed doors. 

“You were there when they announced her victory last night.” 

“Sure I was. She’s my wife, after all. I’m supposed to support her.” 

“Even with the Republic becoming an Empire?” 

Anakin stopped what he was doing and sighed, turning to look at his friend with a frown. “I don’t like it anymore than you do, Obi-Wan. Neither does Padme.” 

“She didn’t have to run.”

“No, but the person she was running against was Rute Gunnay. There would  _ definitely _ be a true Empire under him.” He wrinkled his nose in distaste. Though Nute Gunray had answered for his war crimes by being sentenced to death, the fact that Rute Gunnay had managed to avoid any serious consequences for his part in Palpatine's schemes, wrangled hold of the Trade Federation, and had tried to become Emperor… that alone was enough to feel a little better about the whole Empire situation. With Padme at the helm, that is.

“And you think her plan will work?” Obi-Wan asked skeptically. He too had stopped what he was working on to face his younger friend. “Do you really think she can maintain the appearance of being Empress while slowly convincing the Senate to take back more and more power?” 

“If anyone can, it’s Padme.” It was true. His wife's political acumen and savviness were nearly unmatched in the galaxy. And yet, if she died in childbirth… 

Well. Already things had seriously changed from Luke and Leia’s original timeline. The uncertainty over the future was normal, but it still made him nervous. Even with all her tests coming back normal, even with the Force providing nothing but reassurance that things would be alright...he was still on edge.

“It’s a dangerous game, to be sure. If those who voted for an Empire feel their Empress  _ isn’t _ taking it seriously…” Obi-Wan trailed off his statement, a worried look on his face.

“I know, I know.” Anakin heaved a sigh, then shook his head.

Obi-Wan must have sensed the stress in him, because he sighed as well, then placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Well. She’s got one thing going for her that’s sure to keep her safe.” 

“What’s that?” 

“She has  _ you  _ for her husband.” He smiled. “If you can save the galaxy multiple times over and overthrow the Sith, I’m sure Padme’s the safest woman in the entire galaxy.” 

And though Anakin couldn’t save her from a natural death in childbirth...he couldn’t help but feel reassured anyway at his friend's confidence in him. 

“So, what am I supposed to call you anyway? You’re not an Emperor.” Obi-Wan smirked.

He made a face. “Thank the Force for  _ that _ . No, I’m just plain old Anakin Skywalker, thanks.” 

“Not Consort?” Obi-Wan teased. 

“I mean,  _ technically _ , I guess I am, but  _ no.  _ Just no. _ ”  _ Anakin's lips twisted, and he rolled his eyes before shaking his head good naturedly. 

Obi-Wan laughed as they returned to their work. 

* * *

**Six months after the wish fulfillment…**

This was it. 

_ Don't panic! Don't panic! Don't panic!  _ He kept telling himself.

It wasn't working.

In a few short hours, he’d know  _ just _ how much they’d managed to change the future. 

Padme’s water broke that morning while he was fixing her breakfast - and failing spectacularly at it. Even two months into being the galactic Empress, their home life had changed very little. Thank the Force. She’d refused to take the expensive high rise mansion the Senate had offered her, and they'd decided to keep their penthouse apartment at 500 Republica. For now. They’d likely need to move once the twins were up and crawling, given that their balcony had zero railings or ways to keep toddlers from tumbling off the side, but for now, their apartment would do. 

Yet the look in her eyes when her water had broke, spilling out across the kitchen floor, soaking her nightgown and robe and plastering the fabric to her legs…

Excitement, fear, anticipation,  _ pain.  _

He knew he’d never forget it. 

After assisting her to their bedroom and then helping her change into clean, dry clothing before throwing her soiled and ruined sleepwear away down the garbage chute, Anakin left the med droid with her. He moved expeditiously through the routine Padme had forced him to practice repeatedly, grabbing her overnight bag, getting a speeder that was built for comfort and safety over speed called to the landing pad, then helping her into the back seat.

Cursing under his breath, it took everything in him not to shove out the pilot droid and fly them himself to the med center like the entire galaxy depended on it. In a way, it technically still  _ could _ , but he reeled in his fears and frustration and did exactly as they’d discussed. He got into the back seat with her, holding her in his arms, braced with her back to his chest, as they leisurely made their way over. 

“There’s plenty of time, Ani,” Padme assured him between her measured deep breathing when she felt how tense he was getting. “And please, _stay_ _calm_. The twins can tell you’re freaking out, and as a result, they're kicking me like a rampaging rancor.” 

He placed a hand over her significantly protruding stomach and felt them squirming quite agitatedly under his hand. The physical evidence she was right, and rather uncomfortable because of it. Cursing himself for adding to his wife's discomfort unintentionally, he reached out and, as he’d learned to do multiple times over the last six months, connected with the twins through the Force. Instantly, he felt their fear and confusion over what was happening, and he grimaced.

Oh yeah. She was right. But the idea that, by the end of all this, he could lose her anyway and be left alone to parent two highly Force sensitive babies…

It was difficult to breathe. 

“ _ Ani _ .” Padme said again in exasperation, and he met her fierce gaze. “I am  _ not  _ going anywhere. But if  _ you _ don’t calm down and help reassure these babies, there might be trouble anyway.” 

He forced himself to take deep, calming breaths, willing the serenity that came from the Light Side of the Force to wash over him. As scared as he was, he didn’t want to make it harder on Padme or the twins. Maybe that’s what had caused her to die in the first place. 

“Alright.” He promised. “Alright.” 

_ Everything’s alright, Little Ones. Be calm now,  _ He projected to the twins. He had no idea if they understood him, but he made sure to infuse the words with as much calmness and reassurance as he possibly could through the Force.

He almost worried it wouldn’t work, but sure enough, he felt them settle under his hand, and Padme breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Thank the Maker!" She gushed on a sigh.

"No. Thank  _ the Force,  _ Angel."

"Yeah. That, too."

* * *

It was all a pack of cinematic lies. 

He was sure of it.

He’d seen holovids where women gave birth. They were quick and easy, and the women in them looked like they were in pain, but ultimately, it seemed manageable, all without a hair out of place. And not messy at all.

But this…By the Force,  _ this _ was something else. 

“Are you  _ sure _ it’s not time yet, Angel?” It was a constant battle to stay calm. Already, Padme was utterly exhausted, coated in sweat, hair falling out of the messy bun she’d thrown it up in, with strands sticking to her face. With each contraction, her face contorted in agony, as she bared her gritted teeth, and now, an entire  _ ten hours  _ after they’d reached the med center, she couldn’t help but release a continuous stream of pained noises - interspersed with a few choice expletives for good measure - that ripped his soul to shreds. 

He  _ hated _ to see his beloved wife in pain, but this was beyond  anything he'd ever imagined!

“No,” She leaned her head on his shoulder, completely exhausted. Every five minutes, he reached out through the Force to make sure it was alright, but all he got back was a terrible sense of  _ pain  _ and an overwhelming and impossible desire to sleep to regain energy.  He wasn’t adept in Force healing. He didn’t know if this was normal. All he could rely on was the word of a doctor who likely knew nothing about Force sensitive babies anyway. Did that change anything about the birthing process? He had no kriffing clue, and the uncertainty gnawed at him, and the fact that she was  _ dead  _ in Luke and Leia’s original future made him on edge despite all the calming exercises he’d tried. “The contractions aren’t close enough yet. Soon, though.” 

“Should I get the doctor…?” 

“I’ll let you know when, Ani.” 

“But  _ how--?”  _

“Because this is something women have been doing since the beginning of time. It’s an instinct, Love. Trust me.” She managed a small smile. “Besides. I’m pretty sure the doctor hates you by now.” 

She wasn’t wrong. He’d bothered the doctor to make sure everything was normal so often, he could feel the man’s trepidation every time Anakin found him. “He should  _ be  _ here the whole time…” He practically whined, his expression awash in concern.

“For ten straight hours?!” She laughed, the sound weaker and more strained than he’d ever heard it, “Ani. Really. Get real. I'm not the  _ only _ woman here in labor, you know.” 

He opened his mouth to press further, when the door opened on the other side of the privacy curtain shielding them from view, and a nurse walked in and peered around the curtain at them. “Sir?” She motioned for Anakin to follow her. “You have a visitor.” 

His brows furrowed, not sure who’d be visiting here and now. He knew Padme’s parents were on their way, but they wouldn’t be there until the next morning. The babies were coming early, after all. But when he reached out to probe the presences outside the room that had taken up all of his attention over the last day, he recognized two incredibly bright Force signatures outside. 

And still, he was reluctant to leave Padme’s side even for a moment. 

“You have time, Ani.” Padme reassured him again, rubbing a tired hand gently over his forearm. “Go, take a deep breath, and then come back. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

In other words, he was panicking again, and she was hoping he’d use this chance to step out of the room and calm down. He pressed a tender kiss to her sweaty forehead, then reluctantly left the room; though, he didn’t leave it fully in his mind. Padme’s light in the Force was ever constant, and her feelings were as closely tied to him as his own. 

He wouldn’t miss anything. 

Obi-Wan stood in the hallway, along with a stout blue Twi’lek Jedi he was all too familiar with. 

Vokara Che. The Jedi Healer who had treated him, Obi-Wan, and even Padme after the battle of Geonosis. 

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin greeted in surprise, then he nodded respectfully to Vokara. “Master Che.”

Obi-Wan approached him, and before Anakin could react, he embraced him. Strong, reassuring  _ light  _ flooded them both. Even after leaving the Order, their bond had only strengthened.

“I could feel your anxiety all the way from the Temple. You also weren’t answering your comm.” He pulled away and motioned to the healer. “Then I heard the Empress was in labor, so I...ah...Managed to convince Vokara here to come help.” 

Anakin frowned, still stunned and frozen to the floor. “You got the Council to agree to that?” 

To his knowledge, most of the Council still hadn’t let his breaking of the Code go, and according to Obi-Wan, some were still quite upset by the blistering verbal attack his wife had given them. Plus, there was the whole Empire thing, and Padme becoming Empress… 

“I do not need their permission to help someone in need.” Vokara replied hotly, stepping forward. “Master Kenobi has expressed your concerns for your wife’s safety based on your...wish,” the tone said she didn’t fully believe that he’d summoned his adult children from the future, but she continued on anyway. “I am here to make sure you do not lose your wife, and the galaxy does not lose its Empress.” 

“But...but I thought…?” 

Again, Vokara interrupted with a snort. “I did not become a healer to  _ only _ help those I agreed with politically. Besides. From what I hear, our Empress is rather reluctant about her role anyway.” 

It was true, but… 

“Will you let me assist her, Skywalker?” 

Anakin’s gaze flashed to Obi-Wan’s, and he silently nodded to the Healer. They could trust her. He’d deal with the fallout from the Council later. And he had to admit, having a Jedi as skilled in the healing arts as Vokara was helping Padme… 

“Alright, I’ll need to let my wife know, but...” He paused. “Thank you, Master.” He choked up in gratitude, tears filling his eyes. He'd always been fond of Vokara.

“Thank me when this is done with and your wife and children are all safe.” 

* * *

His ears were ringing. 

And he had a pounding headache by this point.

Force! The screaming would forever haunt his dreams. He was sure of it.

He’d fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Clone Wars. He’d watched sentients die truly horrible deaths. He’d learned to take it in stride, and keep moving forward. But this… _ this _ was a whole other level of pain and determination. Like  _ nothing  _ he'd ever witnessed before. Truly, what women were capable of was beyond incredible...and his wife had earned his deepest respect another thousand fold, to be sure.

“Push, Your Majesty.” Vokara ordered calmly. Padme gripped his hand so tightly, he thought his bones would crack, her fingernails digging into his skin to the point he thought he'd start bleeding. Her back arched forward, and her eyes were tightly closed, her teeth gritting together as she reared up, pushing again with all her strength. And screamed. Right in his throbbing ear. 

It absolutely sounded like she was dying. 

Her pain bled into the Force. He winced, certain Obi-Wan could feel it too from where he was waiting outside in the hallway. But there was no sense of her spirit leaving him--just determination to see her children. Again. 

He felt so utterly useless, so helpless. His wife was waging a monumental battle the likes he couldn't have imagined, and only Vokara was truly able to help her through it. He was simply reduced to encouraging her verbally and emotionally. Oh, and letting her crush his hand and rupture his eardrums. “I believe in you, Angel.” He breathed, repeatedly. “You’re doing great, My Love.” 

More pushing. More screaming. More crushing of his hand. And then, with one last mighty heave and a grunted wail that was more battle cry than anything…Soft cries suddenly filled the room, followed by a blinding bright  _ presence  _ he instantly recognized as Luke’s. 

Their son, their firstborn was here. 

Again!

“Congratulations!” A beaming nurse said, and moments later she was holding the tiny, pinkish-red, squalling form of their son for them to see. Vokara had gone right back to Padme, who’d taken the moment to slump back against the pillows in part relief, part exhaustion. “It’s a boy!” 

He stared at his son in loving awe. The boy who, just months before, had shown up as a grown man out of thin air on Dagobah missing a hand, accusing him of being a Sith and destroying all of their lives. And now, here he was as a newborn infant, so impossibly tiny and bright and  _ innocent _ that he was afraid to touch him. Hesitantly, he reached out through that bond that had developed rapidly since then, and feelings and impressions came flooding back at him from his son. 

_ He was cold.  _

_ He’d never felt the presence of the person holding him. And didn't  _ like _ it. _

_ Where was his  _ sister?!

“Luke,” Padme breathed softly, love radiating in her voice. 

Luke heard her voice, turned his head toward it, letting out a little mewl in recognition, and the feeling of familiarity and desire for the woman who’d carried him all those many months pulsed between them. 

Anakin stood to reach for his son…

And suddenly, Padme’s cries of pain had him right back at her side while the nurse carried Luke away to be cleaned up, much to his son’s vocalized distaste. 

“We’re not out of this yet.” Vokara reminded him, speaking loudly over Luke's lusty wails of displeasure. “Your daughter definitely wants to be born.  _ Now.”  _

_ Great. She's got the notorious Skywalker impatience, like me. But I guess I already knew that. _

“Is everything still o--?” 

“Skywalker, I have told you for the last time, she is  _ fine _ . Now, be quiet and let me work.” 

_ Ok. Shutting up. _

Padme once again had hold of his now very sore, not to mention rather bruised, flesh hand, and she was gripping it like a lifeline as she listened to Vokara’s instructions and began pushing again. 

This time it took longer. At least, that’s what it felt like. Yet, Vokara remained calm and steadfast, giving Padme strict instructions to follow, which she did. He didn’t know how she did it the  _ first _ time, and here he was worried she’d falter the second time and  _ maybe that’s how she died…  _

But Vokara ordered, “Push with  _ everything you have,  _ Your Majesty. Come on! One more  _ big  _ push!” 

And Padme’s eyes flashed, she gritted her teeth, and with a terrifying scream that Anakin would later describe as breaking the sound barrier, she leaned forward and pushed…

And an incredibly _loud_ wailing filled the room, drowning out everything else entirely, along with an equally bright presence that practically _demanded_ attention. 

Leia had arrived.

Even as an infant, she was just as insistent, her father noted with a mixture of amusement and trepidation. 

_ Where’s my brother?! _

_ Who is this holding me?! _

_ I don't like it out here! _

Came the very distinct impressions through their bond. She was cold, and just as confused as Luke, but it was her twin she wanted.  _ Now. _

And she wanted the  _ entire _ med center to hear about it. 

His poor eardrums. He was beginning to wonder if he might end up deaf after this.

“Double congratulations are in order!” Vokara said with a rare smile, holding up Leia for them to see. “And  _ yes,  _ Anakin, Empress Amidala is just fine.” 

Padme was slumped back against the pillows, staring at their screaming daughter with love and adoration. “She’s so beautiful,” she breathed. 

And she was. She was just as beautiful now as she would be in the future, with a head full of dark curls, so like her mother's. She and Luke, who was now being carried back to him warmly wrapped in a blanket, were both  _ perfect.  _ Rather _ loud _ , yes, but still perfect. Before he could utter a word, the nurse placed his son in his arms, and instantly the boy calmed, settling into him contentedly, sensing his familiarity. 

And Leia...Leia was being handed to their mother, who finally, after everything that had happened,  _ held  _ her daughter in her arms… 

Everything was alright. 

That thought struck him. Here he was, with his wife-- _ who was alive!--  _ and they were holding their precious twins, whose presences shone so brightly in the Force, he was convinced they outshone the stars.

They were all alive. And together. He couldn't be any happier or  _ prouder _ than he was in  _ this _ moment.

“See, Ani?” Padme breathed softly, finally looking away from Leia to meet his eyes. Tears of joy fell down her face, and she smiled. And even sweaty and exhausted, she was more beautiful to him than ever before, and he felt like his heart would burst with love for her and their children. “I told you. Everything’s alright.” 

Maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe it wasn’t childbirth that had killed her in the twins' previous timeline. He’d never know. But it didn’t really matter anymore--she was alive, and their twins were finally here to stay… 

He looked down at Leia, who’d calmed instantly once she was safe and secure in her mother’s arms. He looked down at Luke, who snuggled as close as he could to his chest, savoring his warmth. 

And he wept. 

All of the anxiety. All of the fear and the uncertainty. The long hours of waiting… all of that seemed like nothing compared to this joy. This light and innocence and love that was his family. 

Yes, the future was still uncertain. And it was more than a little odd to hold the tiny versions of the full grown adults they’d met only months before. But everything they’d worked for, everything they would continue to work for, all of it was worth it just for this moment, and for the many more Skywalker family moments that were to come. 

* * *

Luke. Leia. 

Her precious babies were finally here!

At long last!

Despite the utter exhaustion she felt, she refused to let either of them go more than necessary. If she wasn’t holding Leia, she was cradling Luke. They were so tiny, and so very different from their adult counterparts, but also so similar at the same time. Even in the short time she'd known them, she could see the gentleness in her son, so like herself, the calm demeanor even when he was upset about getting washed. Leia, on the other hand, was an absolute ball of fire, and when she was upset about _ anything,  _ she let  _ everyone  _ know it. So much like her  _ father.  _ That thought amused Padme to no end.

But one thing was quite clear to each parent immediately...both twins became incredibly fussy when they were separated. For any reason. They didn't like it. Not one bit.

And on  _ that  _ particular issue, they vied for the title of  _ Loudest _ _Skywalker_.

She recalled the last time she’d seen them, standing in the room in the royal palace that had once been Leia’s on Alderaan. She remembered the fear on Leia’s face, remembered the way she’d looked to her brother for help, just as he’d looked to her for help back on Anakin’s battle cruiser. In both instances, the other twin stepped up in the way their sibling needed: Leia in guarding and protecting her brother while he recovered, and Luke in reassuring his sister that they’d be together _ , wherever _ they ended up. 

She’d been helpless to help them in both cases. Oh, how that had  _ hurt!  _ But now... _ Now, _ she could hold them freely, and they were hers to  _ keep _ . As long as she breathed, they’d  _ never _ be separated, and they’d know nothing but the purest love and most devoted nurturing they deserved - this time from  _ both _ their parents. 

The Empire had still risen, yes. But the Sith were now gone or on the run, and the Death Star would  _ never _ be built, and as long as  she was Empress, she would ensure the majority of power remained with the Senate. But she’d work for the rest of her life, if need be, to convince the Senate and the galaxy, to trust in true Democracy again so that her children could  _ finally _ experience the freedom that came with it. 

But for now...she’d simply hold them close, and quietly marvel at the miracle their adult children had given them by empowering their parents to make this all possible. 

* * *

**After the twins birth…**

Empress Padme Amidala Skywalker was true to her word. She reigned as Empress for twenty years, and focused all her efforts on using her power for the good of the galaxy. She used most of her authority to disband the cartels (especially the Hutts) and redistribute power among just, elected leaders for each of the affected planetary systems. She ended the practice of slavery across the galaxy and created rehabilitation programs for those freed. Many of these efforts were led personally by her husband, Anakin Skywalker, and occasionally Obi-Wan Kenobi when he had the available time to help. But for the most part, she left most decisions up to the Senate, and only interfered when it was demanded of her. 

One of the Senate’s first acts after the birth of the twins was to separate the Jedi and the government. For far too long had the Jedi been involved in the affairs of the government, inviting unnecessary conflict into the everyday lives of the citizens of the galaxy with their ongoing war with the Sith. The bill, per protocol, was signed into law by the Empress, which further drove a wedge between her and the Jedi Council. With the exception of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had wholeheartedly approved of the legislation, much to the dismay of Master Yoda and Mace Windu. The Council attempted to get Anakin to interfere on their behalf, but he flatly refused, clearly stating his desire to focus on his wife and newborn children. 

Throughout the early years of the Empire, the Jedi continued to try to petition for power back. Each time, the Senate and the Empress denied it. Further conflict continued between the Skywalkers and the Jedi when the Council attempted to convince them that the twins needed to be trained as Jedi. True to their word, both Anakin and the Empress refused, and eventually, they dropped the matter altogether after Obi-Wan managed to convince the Council they’d never change their minds. 

But the twins were  _ far _ from untrained. They learned the ways of the Force directly from their very proud father and their affectionately named “Uncle Ben," who visited frequently, as well as their father's former padawan, Ahsoka Tano, or 'Aunt Soka,' who also visited the Skywalkers a lot. 

Because their mother was Empress, the little “Royal Jedi,” as the media liked to call them, were constantly in the news. Though this didn’t please their parents, who tried to shield their children's privacy as much as possible, it  _ did _ show families across the galaxy that there were other methods to help their Force Sensitive children. As a result, many families began refusing the Jedi’s  demands at training their children, unless their children were expressly allowed to stay with them and be raised to embrace both their feelings and attachments, citing the Royal Jedi  and their parents as their example and reason why, with the direct encouragement of the Empress herself. 

As much as this distressed most of the Council, it was cheered by many of the Jedi and almost all of the padawans, and it forced the Council to begin to adapt or face extinction from their own unwillingness to change. And, as the Jedi began to change, so did the perceptions (slowly) of the Council. There were still those such as Mace and Yoda who clung to the Old Ways in their hearts, but the vast majority accepted the changes readily, and even attempted to bring Anakin Skywalker back into their ranks, this time as a Master. 

But though Anakin was willing to assist in worthy causes across the galaxy, including occasionally the Jedi, he never rejoined the Order, citing his duty first and foremost to his family. When he wasn’t assisting his wife’s humanitarian efforts, or the Jedi, or even with his children, he happily worked in his shop on Coruscant - as well as a second shop he opened on Naboo, fixing and enhancing speeders. As his children grew older, it was common to see Luke there with him, eagerly learning and working alongside him. Rex and the other clones who’d gone to work for their general doted on the boy, and Luke frequently referred to them as his  _ Big Brothers.  _

Leia, naturally, took more after her mother, who consistently reminded her that they needed to work to bring back democracy. As she grew older, Leia assisted her mother in her humanitarian efforts, and at age sixteen officially became a Senator, representing Naboo, just as her mother had done before her. She and the Empress teamed up and twenty years into the reign of the Empire, they finally managed to overturn the Imperial reign through a vote in the Senate. 

Once things were properly transitioned over, with Bail Organa taking the reigns as the new Supreme Chancellor, the Skywalker family officially retired to Naboo, but continued dividing their time between Theed, Varykino, and their stately penthouse apartment on Coruscant. Though Leia continued to lead in the Senate, and Luke eventually joined the ranks of the newly reformed Jedi, they frequently were found with their parents at the lake house on Varykino as well. 

Luke and Leia never recovered their old memories. At least, if they did, they didn’t tell their parents. Though Padme  _ did _ wonder a bit when Leia suddenly brought home a scruffy-looking smuggler by the name of Han Solo.

Throughout the years, the Media constantly hounded Anakin and Obi-Wan for an interview about what had happened that night in the Chancellor’s office. Though they usually referred them back to the official statement given to the press at the time, Anakin once added, “I didn’t do anything except physically take down the despot. I was doing my job. That doesn’t make me a hero. The real heroes of this story are my children. Without  _ them _ , everything would have been different.” 

And though the media wrote it off as simply a sentimental father who’d wanted to protect his wife and unborn children, they didn’t know just how literally Anakin had meant it. 

Because it was true. Unbeknownst to the rest of the galaxy, their collective fates were determined not only by Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, and Empress Padme Amidala Skywalker, and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, but by that of two barely trained Force Sensitives brought here from the future, and their love for their families. 

All at the fulfillment of just one wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my very first completed multi-chapter Star Wars fic! It's a weird, but good feeling at the same time, so though this has been written for a while I wanted to make sure it felt right.   
> While it is technically a happy ending, it isn't exactly...well, 100% happy? Luke and Leia's fate was the hardest to decide. No matter what I chose, it would have been a somewhat sad ending for them. Send them back to their timeline? Well that would suck knowing your family is happy in another timeline. Bring them back 21 years in time and thrust them into a new life? THERAPY. SO MUCH THERAPY, and I don't think Leia ever could have recovered completely. So...I decided this one, where they live as new people. Which is happy for them, but sad for us who know and love their old selves, too.   
> So...how did you like it?   
> Also, again, Merry Ficmas to Silverdaye! <3 Although it was her birthday this week so....appropriate I guess to finish at her birthday.   
> Love,   
> LadyVader23


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